Share Location Unavailable on iPhone? Try These 10 Fixes!

Have you ever tried to let your friends or family know where you are with your iPhone, but instead you see a message that says share location unavailable? It’s an annoying problem that many iPhone users run into. 

In this guide, we’re going to talk about why you might be seeing the “share location unavailable” message and how you can fix it. We’ll share the top solutions. We’ll also give you some extra tips to follow to make sure your location-sharing works smoothly.

What is “Share My Location” on iPhone?

“Share My Location” is a feature on your iPhone that lets you share where you are with your friends, family, and other people you trust. You can use it in different apps like Find My, Messages, and Maps to let others know your location in various ways.

• Share once: Quickly tell someone where you are right now with a one-time share in Messages or Maps.

• Share on the way: While heading somewhere, share your estimated time of arrival (ETA) in Maps, or let friends know your location in Messages if you’re running late.

• Share ongoing: Use Find My or Messages to continuously share your location for a set time—like an hour, until the end of the day, or even without a time limit.

This feature is great for keeping in touch, planning meet-ups, or making sure family members are safe. If both you and your contact have iPhones with iOS 15 or later, you can share your “Live Location” to show your real-time movement, direction, and speed.

Sharing your current location usually works fine, but lots of users run into trouble when they try to show their movements live. What happens is, instead of seeing where you are, your friends or family get a message that says “Share my location unavailable” when you try to share your live location with them.

READ MORE: How to Send a Pin Location on Google Maps & Apple Maps ➜

Why is share my location unavailable?

Sometimes, the “Share my location” feature doesn’t work, and it could be for several reasons related to your phone’s settings, issues with the software, or limits on your service. Here’s a list of common reasons why you might not be able to share your location:

• Location Services disabled: The most frequent issue is that Location Services is switched off. For sharing your location to work, you need to turn on Location Services in your device’s settings.
• Privacy settings: You may have set limits on which apps can know your location. Make sure the app you’re trying to use to share your location is allowed to access your location information.
• No internet connection: To share your location, you usually need to be online. If you’re not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data, you can’t share your location.
• Device restrictions: If your device is from your workplace or you have parental controls turned on, there might be rules set up that stop you from sharing your location.
• iOS system faults: Sometimes, a problem with an iOS update or a glitch in the system can make location services stop working on your iPhone. This could be because of a bug in the system.

READ MORE: How to Fix “Location not Available” in your iPhone? ➜

How to fix the share location unavailable issue?

To sort out the issue with your location not being shareable, give these solutions a shot:

1. Turn on location services

To fix the problem where you can’t share your location, start by checking if the location setting on your iPhone is active. It’s easy to forget to turn this on or you might have switched it off by mistake. Here’s how to turn it on:

1. Open the “Settings” app and scroll to find the “Privacy & Security” tab.
   

   

2. Then tap “Location Services.”
   

   

3. There, toggle the switch next to “Location Services” to turn it on.
   

   

2. Disable and re-enable location sharing in Find My App or Messages

To fix issues with not being able to share your location, try checking your Find My App or Messages settings. Sometimes, turning off and then turning back on the option to share your location can help. Here’s a simple way to do this:

↪ For the Find My app

To turn location sharing in Find My on and off:

1. Open the “Find My” app on your device.
   

   

2. Tap on “Me” at the bottom.
   

   

3. Switch off “Share My Location” and then turn it back on.
   

   

↪  For the Messages app

To turn location sharing in Messages on and off, follow these steps:

1. Open the “Messages” app.
   

   

2. Open the chat with the person you share your location with and tap the picture at the top.
   
    

   

3. Choose “Stop Sharing My Location” to turn it off. To share your location again, tap on “Share My Location.”
   

   

    

READ MORE: How to Enable iMessage on Any iPhone in 4 Easy Steps [2024] ➜

3. Turn Airplane mode on and off

Turning Airplane Mode on and then off can fix temporary problems with your phone’s network that stop it from sharing where you are. Here’s how to do it easily:

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen.
   

   

2. Tap the airplane icon to turn “Airplane Mode” on. This makes your phone stop connecting to any wireless network.
   

   

3. Wait for about 15–30 seconds, then tap the airplane icon again to turn Airplane Mode off. This connects your phone back to the internet and other networks, which might fix the problem.
   

   

4. Check date and time settings

Making sure your date and time are correct is very important. If they’re wrong, it can mess up things like GPS and sharing your location. Here’s a simple way to check and fix it:

1. Go into your phone’s Settings, then select  “General.”
   

   

2. Next, tap “Date & Time.”
   

   

3. Turn on “Set Automatically.” This makes sure your iPhone uses the time from the network, which helps make sure your location services work right.
   

   

READ MORE: Difference Between No Location Found and Location Not Available ➜

5. Check for software updates

If sharing your location isn’t working, it might be because your iPhone’s software is old. Updating your iPhone to the newest software can fix this problem. Here’s how you can check for updates and install them:

1. Go to your iPhone’s “Settings” and tap on “General.”
   

   

2. Next, choose “Software Update.”
   

   

3. Here, you’ll see if your iPhone is up to date or if there’s a new version of iOS available. If there is an update, you’ll see a “Download and Install” button. Tap on it and wait for your phone to update.
   

   

6. Adjust Screen Time settings

Screen Time settings can sometimes stop your phone from sharing your location because it can limit what the phone does for privacy and content reasons. To make sure this isn’t stopping you, here’s a simple way to check and change the settings:

1. Open your iPhone’s Settings and tap on “Screen Time.”
   

   

2. Scroll down and select “Content & Privacy Restrictions” in the “Restrictions” tab. You might need to enter your Screen Time passcode if it asks.
   

   

3. Go down to “Location Services” under “Privacy & Security” and check that it is set to “Allow.” Also, make sure “Share My Location” isn’t blocked.
   

   

READ MORE: Apple Screen Time Not Working? Try These 19 Easy Fixes ➜

7. Restart your iPhone

If trying the tips above doesn’t solve the issue, turning your iPhone off and back on might help. This stops all the apps running in the background and gives your phone’s operating system a clean start, which can fix problems with location services. Here’s an easy way to do it:

1. Hold down any Volume button and the Power button at the same time until you see the slider on the screen.
   

   

2. Move the slider to turn off your phone, and wait until it’s completely off.
   

   

After your phone is completely off, press and hold the Power/Side button again until it starts up.

8. Force restart your iPhone

If nothing else works, a force restart might fix the problem by completely turning the system off and on again. This can get rid of more serious software issues that could be messing with sharing your location. Here’s how to do it, depending on your iPhone model:

↪ For iPhone 15/14/13/12/11/X, and iPhone 8 series:

• First, quickly press and release the “Volume Up” button. Then, quickly do the same with the “Volume Down” button.
• Next, press and hold the “Side Sleep/Wake” button. Keep holding it down until the Apple logo shows up, then let go.

↪ For iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus:

• Press and hold the “Volume Down” button and the “Sleep/Wake” button at the same time.
• Keep holding them until you see the Apple logo, then you can let go.

↪ For iPhone 6, iPhone SE (1st generation), and older models:

• Press and hold the “Sleep/Wake” button and the “Home” button together.
• Hold them until the Apple logo appears, then release both buttons.

READ MORE: iPhone Force Restart Not Working? Try These 9 Easy Fixes ➜

9. Reset Location and Privacy Settings

Sometimes, even if it looks like location services are on, they might not work because of a glitch in the settings. Resetting your iPhone’s location and privacy settings can fix this without losing any of your data.

It just sets these settings back to how they were when you first got your iPhone. Here’s a simple way to reset these settings:

1. Go to “Settings,” then tap on “General.”
   

   

2. Choose  “Transfer & Reset iPhone.”
   

   

3. Here, tap “Reset.”
   

   

4. Select “Reset Location & Privacy.”
   

   

5. You’ll need to put in your passcode. Then, just follow the steps that show up on the screen.
   

   

10. Reset all settings

If nothing else works, resetting all the settings on your iPhone can help. This action turns all the system settings like network, privacy, and Screen Time back to how they were when the phone was new.

Don’t worry, it doesn’t delete any of your personal data like photos or apps. Here’s a simple guide to do it:

1. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone and tap on “General.”
   

   

2. Scroll until you find “Transfer or Reset iPhone” and tap it.
   

   

3. Then, tap on “Reset.”
   

   

4. Out of the options given, select “Reset All Settings.” This makes all settings go back to their original state.
   

   

5. You will need to type in your passcode to confirm you want to do this.
   

   

READ MORE: How to Reset an iPhone without Password ➜

Additional tips and considerations

To make sure your iPhone’s Location Services work well and you can share your location without any problems, here are some easy tips to follow:

• Optimize battery settings: Don’t use Low Power Mode when you need to share your location. This saves battery but can make the GPS less accurate.
• Update carrier settings: Make sure your phone’s carrier settings are up to date because this helps your phone connect better. 
• Have a strong signal: A weak signal can mess up your location’s accuracy. Always try to have a good Wi-Fi or mobile data connection.
• Turn off VPN temporarily: VPNs can hide your actual location, which can cause problems with location sharing. If you’re facing issues, try turning your VPN off temporarily.

READ MORE: How to Ping a Phone to Find Its Location?

Final thoughts

If you’re facing trouble with sharing your location on your iPhone, there’s no need to worry. These simple solutions can help, from checking your app settings and ensuring your iPhone’s date and time are accurate, to more technical fixes like resetting your network settings or performing a force restart. 

Keeping your iPhone’s software up to date and optimizing your battery and carrier settings can also enhance location accuracy. Following these straightforward steps can solve most location-sharing issues, ensuring you stay connected with your friends and family.