How to Fix Apple Maps Not Working Issue on iPhone?

Apple Maps may not work due to issues with the iOS or configuration related to the navigation mechanics. For some users, the maps app does not load or loads very slowly, while for others, the maps app does not show any directions, either on screen or through audio.

In some cases, the Apple Maps search does not work or does not show any suggestions. In other cases, a particular feature of Apple Maps does not work, such as live traffic. Some people have also reported that Apple Maps does not reroute if a particular turn is missed.

Even though the behavior of Apple maps varies from device to device, the following solutions will work for all cases. 

1. Force Restart the Apple Device

You may encounter the following issue due to a temporary glitch in the OS or in the application itself. Here, force restarting the Apple device may do the trick. For demonstration, we will describe the steps to force restart an iPhone.

But before starting the troubleshooting process, make sure you are in a country where Apple Maps are supported (not all features are supported in all countries). Moreover, do not forget to check if the outage of Apple servers is causing the issue. If so, you must wait until the server issue is resolved. Furthermore, check that the device’s time and time zone are correct.

1. Tap on the volume up button of your iPhone and then quickly tap on the phone’s volume down button.
2. Now press and hold your phone’s side button.

   

3. Wait until the Apple logo appears on the screen and then release the side button. Do not release the button on the phone’s power options menu.
4. Now launch Apple Maps and check if the app has begun working properly.
5. If it did not work, relaunch Apple Maps, and on the Apple Maps screen, perform a force restart of the iPhone (steps 1 to 3). 
6. Upon restart, check if the Apple Maps app is working correctly.
7. If the issue persists when connecting the Apple device to a car through a USB cable, check if using another cable (preferably, from Apple) clears the problem.

2. Disable the Device’s Focus Mode

In the focus mode, Apple devices limit the execution of different OS components and mute all notifications. If your Apple device is in Focus Mode, then that could cause issues with the maps application. Disabling the device’s Focus Mode may resolve the issue. 

1. Launch your iPhone Settings and select Focus.

   

2. Now open a Focus preset (like Do not Disturb) and make sure it is disabled.

   

3. Then check if a schedule is set for the Focus and if so, disable it.

   

4. Now enable Manual or disable Turn on Automatically.
5. Repeat for other Focus Modes as well.
6. Now launch Apple Maps and check if the app’s problem has been resolved

3. Update the Carrier Settings of Your Apple Device

Maps may fail to work on an Apple device if the carrier settings of your device are outdated. Due to this, Apple Maps may fail to communicate properly with its servers. Here, updating the carrier settings of your Apple device may clear the maps’ problem. 

1. Connect your iPhone to a Wi-Fi connection and launch the iPhone Settings.
2. Now select General and open About.

   

3. If a carrier update is available, download and install the update.
4. Then restart your iPhone, launch the Apple Maps app and check if the issue is cleared.

4. Re-enable Data Access to Apple Maps

There are several instances where due to a network or OS glitch your Maps application may fail to access the network data. If this happens, it will fail to load. Here, re-enabling the data access of Apple Maps may resolve the issue. 

1. Launch the Settings of the iPhone and select Maps.

   

2. Now disable Cellular Data and force restart the iPhone.

   

3. Upon restart, disable Wi-Fi and launch Apple Maps.
4. When it asks for Data Access, enable Cellular Data access for Maps and then check if the maps are working again normally.

5. Re-enable Compass Calibration of the Device

Apple Maps may fail to work if your device’s compass is not calibrated. Recalibrating the phone’s compass may resolve the issue:

1. Launch the Settings of your iPhone and open Privacy.

   

2. Now select Location Services and tap on System Services.

   

3. Now disable Compass Calibration and force restart the iPhone (discussed earlier).

   

4. Next, enable Compass Calibration and afterwards, launch Apple Maps to check if the issue is cleared.

6. Re-Enable Location Services of the Device

Location Services of the device are essential for the proper execution of Apple Maps. You may encounter a maps issue if the device’s location services in your device are glitched. In this event, re-enabling the device’s location services may resolve the issue. 

1. Steer to the Settings of your iPhone and select Privacy.
2. Now open Location Services and then disable it.

   

3. Then force restart your iPhone and upon restart, enable Location Services.
4. Now launch Apple Maps and check if the app is working normally.

7. Re-enable Location Permissions on Apple Maps

Permission to access your location is essential for Apple Maps and if it is not present, or the permissions are glitched, then that may lead to problems with maps. In this case, disabling and enabling location permissions for the Apple Maps app may solve the problem.

1. Firstly, force restart your iPhone, and upon restart, launch iPhone Settings.
2. Now head to Privacy and select Location Services.

   

3. Open Maps and set the Allow Location Access to Ask Next Time.

   

4. Now enable Precise Location and then launch Apple Maps.
5. If it asks for location permission, grant the required permissions, and then check if the problem is resolved.
6. If not, check if setting the Allow Location Access to While Using the App clears the issue.
7. If that did not do the trick, check if setting the Allow Location Access to Always solves the problem. 

   

8. If that did not work, again force restart your iPhone.
9. Launch iPhone Settings and tap on General.
10. Now select Reset and press the option of Reset Location and Privacy.

    

11. Then confirm to reset location and privacy.

    

12. Now launch Apple Maps and when it asks for location permissions, grant it the required permissions to check if the maps are working fine

8. Disable Bluetooth on the Apple Device

If due to a glitch, Apple Maps is trying to communicate through an absent Bluetooth device (speaker or watch), then that could result in the problem at hand. In such a case, disabling the Bluetooth of the Apple device may clear the problem. For illustration, we will discuss the process on an iPad.

1. Launch the Settings of your iPad and in the left pane, head to Bluetooth.

   

2. Now, in the right pane, disable Bluetooth and then launch Apple Maps to check if the problem is solved.
3. If that solves the problem but you want to keep Bluetooth enabled while the audio comes from the iPad, launch Apple Maps and then open Control Center.
4. Now, near the top right, click on the Audio Output box and uncheck all other items except the iPhone.
5. Check if Apple Maps is working fine.

9. Enable the Directions on Radio Feature in the Device’s Settings

If you are using an Apple device with a car that supports the maps audio but you are failing to hear it, then enabling directions on the radio may resolve the issue. For a better understanding, we will list down the steps to enable Direction on Radio on an iPhone.

1. Launch the Settings of your iPhone and select Maps.
2. Now open Spoken Direction and tap on Directions on Radio.

   

3. Then enable the feature and afterwards, check if the Apple Maps issue is resolved.

10. Try Another Network

You may also encounter issues with Apple maps if your current network doesn’t have enough bandwidth or is not working due to your data quota being used up. Here, try using another network and see if the issue is resolved. 

1. Disconnect your device from the current network and restart the device.
2. Now connect the device to another network. If the issue occurs on mobile data, you may use Wi-Fi or vice versa. You can also use a hotspot from another phone but on a different carrier.

   

3. Then launch Apple Maps and check if the maps are working fine.
4. If that fails, close Apple Maps and launch a VPN app (if you do not have one, you may install one).
5. Now connect to a country location near you and then check if Apple Maps are working fine.

11. Renew the Network Lease of Your Mac

On a Mac, Apple Maps may fail to work if Apple servers are blocking your Mac’s IP address. Here, renewing the network lease of your Mac (which refreshes the device’s IP address) may do the trick.

1. Firstly, restart your Mac and then open Mac’s System Preferences.
2. Now select Security & Privacy and open Privacy.
3. Now click on Location Services and then disable Location Services.
4. Then head to Network in Mac’s System Preferences and open Advanced.
5. Now select TCP/IP and click on Renew DHCP Lease.

   

6. Then enable Location Services and afterwards, check if Apple Maps is working again.

12. Disable the Background App Refresh for Other Apps

Your Apple device may have issues in the Maps application if multiple background apps are consuming a lot of mobile data and excessive data usage has not left any over for Apple Maps.

Disabling the Background App Refresh for other apps may resolve the issue but this can make other apps dysfunctional. You can always revert the option if it doesn’t work out. 

1. Launch your iPhone Settings and select General.
2. Now open Background App Refresh and disable it.

   

3. Then launch Apple Maps and check if it is operating normally. If so, then check which of the apps is causing issues for the Apple Maps app by enabling Background App Refresh for other apps one by one.

13. Delete Cache on Mac

Apple Maps may not work on a Mac if its caches are corrupt and the maps are failing to store/access essential data on the computer. Here, we can refresh the cache and see if this works. 

1. On your Mac’s Finder, open Go and select Go to Folder.
2. Now head to ~/Library/ and create a new folder.

   

3. Then enter caches.OLD for the name of the folder.
4. Now create another folder with the name of LaunchDemons.OLD.
5. Then move (not copy) the contents of the caches folder to caches.OLD folder.
6. Now move the contents of the LaunchDemons folder to LaunchDemons.OLD folder.
7. Then restart your Mac and upon restart, check whether Apple Maps is working again.
8. If it did not work, check if deleting the following folder (it will be better to create a backup) and restarting the Mac resolves the issue:

   ~/Library/Caches/GeoServices

9. If the issue persists, check if deleting the contents of the following folder and restarting the Mac clears the error:

   ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Maps

10. If the problem is still there, create another administrator user account on your Mac and check if Apple Maps is working fine in the new account.

14. Uninstall Conflicting Apps on the Device

The Apple Maps app may stop working if another app on your Apple device is not letting the maps execute. In this case, uninstalling the conflicting apps on your device may clear the error. Spotify, Pandora, Waze, and Google Maps are some of the reported apps to cause problems with Apple Maps.

If you have any of these apps or similar ones, you may need to uninstall them. To illustrate, we will discuss the process of uninstalling the Google Maps app on an iPhone.

1. Tap and hold the Google Maps app on the iPhone’s Home screen.
2. Now select Remove App and then confirm to delete the Google Maps app.

   

3. Once done, force restart the iPhone and upon restart, launch the Apple Maps app to check if the issue is resolved. If so, you may now reinstall the Google Maps app.

If the issue is occurring due to a music app (like Pandora), check if disabling the microphone access for the app in the device’s Privacy settings resolves the issue.

15. Delete/Re-add the Apple Maps App to the Device

You may encounter issues with your Apple Maps if the installation of the maps application itself is corrupt. Here, removing the current copy of Maps and installing a fresh copy may solve the issue. 

1. Tap and hold the Apple Maps icon on the iPhone’s Home screen.
2. Now select Remove App and in the sub-menu, tap on Delete App.

   

3. Then restart your iPhone and upon restart, launch Apple App Store.
4. Now search for Apple Maps and install it.
5. Launch Apple Maps and check if the app is working fine.
6. If that did not work, delete the Apple Maps app from your iPhone and restart the iPhone.
7. Now launch Apple App Store and sign out of your Apple ID (from the top right hand).
8. Then download the Apple Maps app and afterwards, check if the app has started to work normally.
9. If that fails, enable Maps in the iCloud Settings and then check if that clears the issue.

   

10. If that did not work, launch Apple Maps and send the problem feedback.
11. Then check if Apple Maps are working normally.

16. Reset the Network Settings of the Device

Having corrupt or incomplete network settings can also cause issues with Apple Maps. Here, we can reset all the network settings of your device and see if that does the trick. Do note that all your connected networks will be reset and you will have to connect to them again. 

Before proceeding, make sure to note down or back up the info required to restore your connections on your device (like Wi-Fi credentials). For clarity, we will go through the process of resetting the network settings on an iPhone.

1. Go to the Settings on your iPhone and select General.
2. Now press on Reset and tap on Reset Network Settings.

   

3. Then confirm to reset the iPhone’s network settings and afterwards, check if the Apple Maps has begun working correctly.

17. Reset All Settings of the Apple Device

If resetting network settings didn’t work, we can move a step further and reset all the settings of your Apple device. This will rule out all bad settings and refresh them to default values. Before moving on, do not forget to note down or back up the info you may require later (like Wi-Fi credentials). 

1. Launch your iPhone’s Settings and select General.
2. Now open Reset and press Reset All Settings.

   

3. Then confirm to reset all the settings of the iPhone and afterwards, check if Apple Maps is working.

18. Reset the Apple Device to the Factory Defaults

If none of the above methods works, it probably means that the OS of your Apple device is corrupt. This corruption can occur if the previously installed OS update wasn’t installed completely and Apple Maps is unable to access all resources essential for its operation. 

Here, resetting the Apple device to the factory defaults may clear the issue. Before moving ahead, do not forget to back up your Apple device as all the data/apps/settings on it will be wiped. To illustrate, we will discuss the process of resetting an iPhone to the factory defaults. Make sure the iPhone’s battery is charged to full.

1. Launch Settings of your iPhone and tap on General.
2. Now select Reset and press on the option of Erase All Content and Settings.

   

3. Then confirm to reset your iPhone and wait till the process finishes.
4. Now set up the iPhone as per your requirements but as a new phone (not restored from a backup).
5. Launch the Apple Maps app and hopefully, it will be working fine.

If that did not work, check if reinstalling the iOS on your iPhone through iTunes clears the problem. If the issue persists and is reported to be caused by an iOS bug, then you could use another app (like Google Maps) till the bug is patched. If that is not the case, then get your device checked for a hardware error or get a replacement if under warranty.