WhatsApp Live Location Sharing Not Updating: Solutions and Alternatives

When all your communication — chatting and calling — runs smoothly on WhatsApp, you naturally trust its location services too. But just when it matters most, sharing location on WhatsApp stops updating. Your friend is left unsure where to go, or worse, you lose track of your child’s movements. So, what now?

I recently had a stressful experience with this myself when my daughter’s WhatsApp location hasn’t updated in an hour. Once I calmed down, I did some research and discovered several reasons why WhatsApp Live Location might stop updating — along with their solutions. Our HeyLocate expert Alex Dushyn consulted us on the most common WhatsApp location problems.

Reasons & Solutions for WhatsApp Location Problems

WhatsApp lets you share live location for 15 minutes, 1 hour, or 8 hours. During this time, the app uses the device’s GPS and network location services to update the user’s position on maps in real-time.

So, first, check to see if the location’s sharing time is up. If it hasn’t expired, look for other possible problems.

1. Your Internet Connection is Not Stable

WhatsApp live location requires a stable internet connection. In most cases, poor internet connectivity is the reason your location is not updating in time. The app has to transmit location data over a network.

How to Fix:

Check your Wi-Fi connection. To improve it, there are 2 options:

• switch to mobile data to keep sending location data to the other person’s phone.
• reset your internet connection by restarting your Wi-Fi modem or router. Unplug, wait for 30 seconds, and plug it back in to reboot it. If you have both a router and a modem, start with the modem, wait for 30 seconds, then unplug the router.

2. WhatsApp Software Bug

WhatsApp location can have bugs, which lead to issues like incorrect location sharing, showing an entirely wrong location, or not updating live location properly.

How to fix:

If you suspect that WhatsApp live location is not working due to software glitches, you can end the current live location session and restart it.

To restart WhatsApp live location:

1. Open the WhatsApp chat that you’re sharing location with.
2. You will see the option: Stop Sharing. Tap Stop on the popup to stop sharing location.
3. Once done, close the app and restart it before starting another live location session.

3. Location Services Are Disabled

When you share your location on WhatsApp, the app uses the device’s GPS location with your device’s permission.

Perhaps you’re sharing a location, and suddenly, you get a notification saying, “WhatsApp can’t update location.” This can happen if you turn off the device’s location, or you remove location permissions for WhatsApp.

How can Location Services be turned off without you noticing it?

• When your phone has a low battery, it can automatically disable location services.
• A phone update may reset location settings or revoke app permissions.
• Some apps with aggressive battery or privacy settings may interfere with location tracking.
• Some antivirus or security apps can block GPS tracking as a privacy measure.
• If a phone has multiple users, location settings may differ between profiles.

How to fix:

Turn on Location Services and location permission for WhatsApp. This process is different on Android and iOS.

To turn on location settings on an Android:

Swipe down from the top of the screen. Touch and hold the location icon to turn it on. Or, open Settings > Location and tap the toggle to turn it on.

To allow WhatsApp location permissions on Android:

1. Go to Settings > Apps > tap on the WhatsApp icon.
   
2. Click the Permissions option, then Location. Click Allow only while using the app.
3. Tap Use precise location option to enable precise location.
   

To turn on Location Services on iOS:

1. Open the Settings app and go to Security & Privacy.
2. Tap on Location Services and push the slider to the right.
   
3. Scroll down to the WhatsApp app.
4. Under Allow Location Access, choose the option While Using the App and push the slider for use Precise Location to the right to turn it on.
   

4. Your Phone is Showing the Wrong Time and Date

When your phone displays the wrong time and date, other features can behave oddly. Perhaps you have set the wrong time zone, or you tinkered with the phone. If this is the case, even the automatic date and time function will show the wrong date and time.

How to fix:

Reset the Date and Time. To do this on an Android:

Open Settings and find Date and Time. It can be in “General management” or “Additional settings”.

Tap the sliders next to Automatic date and time and Automatic time zone to disable and enable these features.

To reset the time and date on iOS:

Open Settings > General > Date & Time.

If Set Automatically is turned off, tap the toggle to turn it on. If Set Automatically is turned on, tap the slider off and on to reset the date and time.

5. Your Device or WhatsApp is Outdated

When your device is outdated, it becomes slow and unresponsive. At the same time, an outdated WhatsApp application will be buggy, which can affect location sharing.

How to fix:

A system update fixes bugs and improves a device’s performance. It can also improve location accuracy when an app uses the device’s location.

To update an Android phone:

1. Open Settings > Software Update or System Update, depending on your device.
   
2. Tap on Download and install. Your phone will check for the newest software update.
3. Download the software update and tap Install Now to get your system up to date.
   

To update an iPhone:

1. Open Settings > General.
   
2. Tap on Software Update. You will see the current iOS version and whether an update is available.
3. If an update is available, tap Update Now.
   

To update WhatsApp:

The process is the same on Android and iPhone.

1. Open the Google Play Store on Android or the App Store on iPhone.
   
2. Search for the WhatsApp Messenger app.
3. If an update is available, tap on Update.
   

6. WhatsApp is Not Running in the Background

For some Android phones, like Xiaomi, that use HyperOS and MIUI operating systems, WhatsApp live location may turn off if you close the app or turn off the screen.

Here’s the Reddit user’s experience:

“Generally, I’m really happy with HyperOS, but the only issue I have is that it seems to kill WhatsApp live location sharing. I have allowed WhatsApp to not be optimised from a battery perspective, and I’ve locked the app (press on it and padlock when the options come up), and given the app access to my location. It will share location as long as WhatsApp is open, and the screen is on.
I think this is a fairly common problem with HyperOS / MIUI as my son has a Poco phone running MIUI and this always happens when he shares his live location with me via WhatsApp.”

How to fix:

Ensure background app refresh is enabled for WhatsApp for it to continue working even when you close the app or turn off the screen. This feature is beneficial for phones that block live location when you’re not using WhatsApp actively during live location sharing.

To enable background app refresh on Xiaomi:

1. Go to Settings and tap on More connectivity options > Data usage.
   
2. Select WhatsApp Messenger from the list of apps and push the slider next to the background data feature to turn it on.
   

To fix WhatsApp live location turning off on phones that use HyperOS and MIUI, some users prefer to use split screen. Thus, you can use the other app while seeing location on WhatsApp.

To enable split screen:

1. Open the WhatsApp chat with shared location.
2. Swipe up from the bottom or tap the square/recent apps button to find the other app you need to use meanwhile. I chose Pinterest.
   
3. Tap and hold its app icon. Select Split screen from the menu.
4. Select WhatsApp as the second app for split screen.
   

Note: not all apps support split screen feature.

7. GPS Errors

Inaccurate or weak GPS signals can cause problems with updating WhatsApp live location sharing. It can be due to the interference from other devices or sources, or due to environmental factors such as tall buildings or tunnels.

How to fix:

If all possible internal fixes on your phone were done (enabled location sharing, Location Services, and location permission to WhatsApp), then try sharing your location in a different place or environment to see if the issue is specific to a particular area.

How to Share Location Without WhatsApp

If you’ve tried these methods and still can’t get WhatsApp live location to update, it’s time to look for other options.

Here are the best alternatives when live location not working on WhatsApp.

Locate Someone with Scannero Phone Number Tracker

Scannero phone number tracker can find someone using a link sent to a WhatsApp chat, any other messenger or via SMS anonymously. When the person opens the link, Scannero obtains their phone’s position using the device’s IP address and GPS location.

To use Scannero phone number tracker:

1. Go to the Scannero.io website and use cheap trial for HeyLocate readers.
2. Choose the Send a Link option.
   
3. Name your link and click Generate My Link.
   
4. Copy the link and send it via WhatsApp.
5. Wait for the person to open the link. Once they do, Scannero will show you their phone’s location.
   

Scannero offers a power-saving option that uses minimum battery power.

Try Scannero.io

Use Google Maps Location Sharing

Google Maps location sharing is a better location sharing service than WhatsApp live location. You can share your location for longer than WhatsApp and even send live locations through other apps.

Since Google Maps latest update, your location is now updated even when you’re not using the app.

To share location on Google Maps:

1. Open the Google Maps app and tap on your profile icon in the top-right corner.
2. Click Location Sharing > the New Share Button.
3. Choose the duration that you’ll be sharing location. You can share your location for one hour or until you turn off the location sharing feature.
4. Choose the recipient from your contacts.
5. Click the Share button to start live location sharing.

Share Location Within Other Messengers

If WhatsApp live location sharing is not updating, you can try other messengers. Telegram, Snapchat, and Facebook Messenger have a live location-sharing feature as well.

To share your live location on Facebook Messenger:

1. Open the Messenger app and a chat with a person you want to share location with.
   
2. Tap on the + icon at the bottom of the screen and select the location option.
   
3. Click the Start Sharing live location for 60 minutes and tap the send icon.
   

Use mSpy as Family Locator

If you, like me, don’t want to spend a long time figuring out all the settings and just want to keep track of your child’s location at all times, then use the reliable parental control app.

A family locator can help you see a child’s phone location if they keep turning off WhatsApp live location, or it is not updating. It can also prove useful when you’re dealing with a teen who refuses to share their whereabouts.

After researching and testing different family locators, mSpy stood out as the best for precise location tracking.

mSpy works on Android and iOS devices. On Android, you need to install the app directly on the target device. However, on iOS, you only need your child’s iCloud credentials. The app works in the background, meaning it won’t be uninstalled easily.

mSpy will give you access to an online dashboard. When you open this dashboard, click location to see the device’s current location. mSpy displays the phone’s position on Google Maps and its current location address. Additionally, you will see 30 days of location history.

Try mSpy

Since you can’t always be watching the dashboard, mSpy allows you to set virtual geofence zones. You can create safe and dangerous zones and mSpy when your child enters or leaves these zones. Furthermore, you can track WhatsApp activities as the app takes screenshots of the app’s interactions.

Conclusion

Don’t let WhatsApp live location not updating moment turn into a frustrating issue. Follow our guide, and you will resume live location sharing in a few minutes.

However, if these solutions don’t work, you can seek an alternative like Scannero mobile number tracker or Google Maps location sharing to see location using a link. Alternatively, other messaging apps can serve the same purpose.

Lastly, mSpy family locator can be the tool you need to keep up with your teen’s location. Ultimately, one of these methods has your solution depending on your current situation.