How do i turn location on my iphone

How do i turn location on my iphone

With the “Location Services” option on your iPhone, you can allow and disallow apps from using your phone’s GPS location. You can manage this on a per-app basis as well as system-wide. We’ll show you how.

As long as Location Services is disabled, your apps can’t track your GPS location. If you come across an app that needs location data (like a food delivery app) to function, it’s easy to enable the option. You can also give just a chosen few apps your whereabouts while blocking it for all other apps, as we’ll explain below.

RELATED: All the Ways Your Location Can Be Tracked on an iPhone

Enable Location Services (GPS) on iPhone

To enable your phone’s location services, open the Settings app on your iPhone.

In Settings, scroll a bit down and tap “Privacy.”

How do i turn location on my iphone

On the “Privacy” page, at the top, tap “Location Services.”

How do i turn location on my iphone

Toggle on the “Location Services” option to enable the feature.

How do i turn location on my iphone

From now on, your allowed apps can find your whereabouts using the newly enabled feature.

RELATED: How to Check Which Websites Can Access Your Location in Google Chrome

Manage Location Services for Specific Apps on iPhone

If you would like to grant or deny access to your location for specific apps, you can do so as follows.

Open Settings on your iPhone and head into Privacy > Location Services. Make sure the “Location Services” toggle is turned on at the top.

How do i turn location on my iphone

Scroll down the page to see your installed apps. Here, tap the app for which you want to control the location access.

How do i turn location on my iphone

On the app’s page, you have three location permission options to choose from:

  • Never: To never allow this app to use your location data, select this option.
  • While Using the App: To only allow the app to use your location when you are using the app, select this option. This prevents the app from accessing your location in the background.
  • Always: Select this option to always allow the app to use your location data.

How do i turn location on my iphone

Once you select an option, your iPhone will automatically save your changes.

And that’s how you allow as well as disallow apps from accessing your whereabouts on your iPhone. Very useful!

RELATED: How to Share Your Location from an iPhone or Apple Watch

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Google Maps may have trouble finding your location. If the GPS location of your blue dot on the map is inaccurate or missing, you can take steps to help fix the problem.

Tip: These steps will also improve your search results and make them more relevant to you.

Find your current location on the map

How Maps finds your current location

Maps estimates where you are from sources like:

  • GPS: Maps uses satellites to know your location up to around 20 meters. When you're inside buildings or underground, the GPS is sometimes inaccurate.
  • Wi-Fi: The location of nearby Wi-Fi networks helps Maps know where you are.
  • Cell tower: Your connection to mobile data can be accurate up to a few thousand meters.

Turn on location services

To help Google Maps find your location with the most accurate blue dot, turn on location services.

  1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Privacy
    How do i turn location on my iphone
    Location Services.
  3. Make sure Location Services is turned on.
  4. Scroll and select Google Maps.
  5. Choose While Using the App or Always.

Tip: Location History works best when Location Services is set to Always.

More ways to improve location accuracy

Turn on Wi-Fi

  1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app.
  2. Choose Wi-Fi.
  3. At the top, turn on Wi-Fi.

Restart your phone or tablet

To restart your iPhone or iPad, turn it off and on.

  • Turn your device off: Hold down the power button
    How do i turn location on my iphone
    Power off.
  • Turn your device on: Hold down the power button until your phone turns on.

Calibrating Live View

Orient yourself with Live View

Quickly orient yourself to your surroundings and nearby landmarks in Live View. You can also find how far away certain landmarks are from you and how to get there. These landmarks can include iconic places, like the Empire State Building in New York City, or easily recognizable places, like local parks and tourist attractions.

There are 2 ways to orient yourself in Live View with the use of landmarks: 

Once you’re in Live View:

  1. Follow the on-screen instructions to help Maps find your location.
    Tip: Point your phone camera at buildings and signs across the street, instead of trees and people.
  2. Once Maps knows where you are, you’ll get the distance to your destination. You can also enter Live View walking navigation.

Tip: Your place’s information card might let you know if your destinationison an upper floor in a building.

Improve accuracy of your location with Live View

What the blue dot means

The blue dot shows your location on the map. When Google Maps isn’t sure about your location, there will be a light blue circle around the blue dot. You might be anywhere within the light blue circle. The smaller the circle, the more certain the app is about your location.

Tips:

  • If the blue dot isn’t visible or is gray, Maps can’t find your current location and shows you the last location you visited.
  • If there’s something between you and cell towers, like a parking garage or tall buildings, your blue dot might not be accurate.

Find your location on other sites & apps

To find your location in Google Maps on other sites and apps, follow the steps above. However, some features will be different:

  • You’ll use a different site or app, not Google Maps.
  • You must first give location permission to the site or app used, not Google Maps.
  • If you open Google Chrome or Safari, you'll only find your location on secure web pages. You'll find "https" in the address bar.

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How do I turn on my location settings?

Open your phone's Settings app. Under "Personal," tap Location access. At the top of the screen, turn Access to my location on or off.

Why can't I turn on my location on my iPhone?

Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Location Services AND any apps that are enabled. If they are greyed out, check if you have any restrictions on. Go to Settings > General > Restrictions to check.