By Jennifer | Last Updated
Q: "After updating to iOS 17/18, when I use live location, I always get the "Share Location Unavailable. Please try again later" message. It is so annoying, how can I fix it?"
The iOS location sharing feature is essential for some Apple users, allowing them to share their current location with friends, family members, or others in real time. It's certainly frustrating if location sharing doesn't work after updating to iOS 17/18 (or for other reasons). In this guide, we'll explore why the iPhone is showing Shared Locations Unavailable and provide some troubleshooting methods.
Before we dive into the solution, understanding the potential causes can help resolve the issue. Why the message "Share Location Unavailable. Please try again later" shows on your iOS 17/18 device? The causes include:
1. Network connectivity issues: Unstable or no connection to Wi-Fi or cellular data can affect the proper functioning of the location sharing service.
2. Location services is disabled: Location sharing requires location services to be enabled, otherwise it will prevent accurate location detection and cause live location on iPhone not working.
3. Software malfunction or error: System error or outdated software may make Find My iPhone online not sharing location.
4. Permission does not allow access to location. If you do not grant permissions to a specific application or feature to access the location it may limit its operation.
5. Incorrect time or date settings. If your date and time settings are incorrect, the system may not respond to requests to share locations from the device.
We are not sure if all users are familiar with the steps to share location on iPhone, so let's learn how to share my location in "Find My" app on iPhone first.
Step 1: First of all, open "Find My" App, and then tap "Me" at the bottom of the screen to open the "Share My Location" option (green button).
If your device is not already sharing your location, you can tap "Use this iPhone as my location" to enable the service.
Step 2: Then tap "+", select "Share My Location" and choose the target contact. If you need to share with more than one contact, you can tap "+" to add more.
Step 3: Tap "Send" and select the duration you want to share the location information. That's all you need to do to share your location with others on iPhone.
If you are sure that there is nothing wrong with your steps, and the shared location service on your iPhone is still not working. Here are some solutions, hopefully they are useful for you.
Checking whether the "Share My Location" feature on your iPhone is turned on is a no-brainer. If it's accidentally turned off, then this could be the real reason why you're prevented from sharing your location with friends or family.
Step 1: Open the "Settings" app on your iPhone, scroll down and click on "Privacy & Security".
Step 2: Select "Location Services" and click "Share My Location".
Step 3: Make sure the button next to it is turned on.
You should also check if Location Services is turned on. When sharing my location, location services must be enabled on your iPhone to allow apps to use GPS and the internet to accurately check your location.
Go to "Settings" > "Privacy & Security" > "Location Services" and if the button next to it is grayed out, it is off, you need to turn it on.
iPhones are electronic devices, and when there is an unstable or no network connection on an electronic device, many features are affected, including location sharing services. You can change networks to try to fix the problem, such as switching from WiFi to cellular.
Alternatively, you can also reset your network settings, which will completely refresh your device's network settings and help resolve issues related to network connectivity.
Step 1: Open "Settings", then click on "General" option and select "Transfer or Reset iPhone".
Step 2: Click on "Reset" > "Reset Network Settings" and then enter your iPhone's lock code to start the reset process.
If you can't share your live location with others on the Find My app, check to see if you've allowed it the permissions it needs to access your location.
Step 1: In the Privacy & Security settings page, click on the "Location Services" option.
Step 2: Then click "Find My" and under "Allow location access", select any option other than "Never". For example, "While Using the App"and enable "Precise Location".
Some location sharing services rely on timestamps for data encryption and authentication, so incorrect date and time settings may affect location detection and sharing. Follow the steps below to adjust your iPhone's date and time settings.
Steps: Tap "General", then select "Date & Time" and turn on the "Set Automatically" option to make your device's date and time always synchronize with global time servers.
Reboot or force restart your device can solve some temporary software glitches or other issues affecting location sharing services while the system is running. The steps are different for different iPhone models, if you are not familiar with the process, you can refer to this official Apple guide to force restart your iPhone.
You can reset the location services and privacy settings of your device if you accidentally set the wrong location services permissions before, or if certain configurations conflict with apps or system features. Doing so will restore them to their initial state to fix the iPhone's location sharing unavailability glitch.
Steps: In "General" settings, tap "Transfer or Reset iPhone", then select "Reset Location & Privacy" option and enter your passcode or verify your Face/Touch ID to confirm the operation.
After updating to iOS 17/18, your iPhone says "Share location unavailable - Unable to connect to server" error could be that there are some bugs in the new iOS. Apple usually fixes problems in previous versions in new versions, but sometimes the introduction of new features can introduce some unknown glitches.
Steps: In this case, you can check if the latest iOS update software is available and then update it.
If you have tried all the above solutions but can't fix the "Share Location Unavailable. Please try again later" error, or you don't have much time for troubleshooting. Here I recommend a one-stop iOS repair solution - iSunshare iOS Repair Genius, which can fix more than 200 common problems on iOS or iPad OS system without losing data, such as Screen Time Not wordking iOS 18, iPhone black screen but still on, iPad battery draining so fast and so on.
Step 1: Download and install iSunshare iOS Repair Genius on your PC device, then launch it.
Step 2: Click on "System Repair" option and then select "Standard Mode".
Step 3: Tap on "Start" button,then connect your iPhone to the computer and make sure the computer can detect it.
The software will automatically recognize and load your device information, and then you can click the "Download" button to get the firmware package for fixing "Location Sharing Not Available".
Step 4: Finally, click the "Repair" button and your iPhone will enter the repair process immediately. Wait for the reboot screen to appear and then all the functions on your iPhone should be back to normal.
Location sharing service is a very useful feature to quickly share your current location information when meeting with others. So it is definitely annoying if location sharing doesn't work. Before spending a lot of time traveling to an Apple repair store, you can follow these few solutions given in this article to fix this error. If you find this a useful guide, please share it with others.
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