How to Fix Maps / GPS Not Working on iPhone

Many iPhone users have experienced an issue with their iPhones where they are not able to access the GPS properly. This can seriously be frustrating when you are travelling and you are unable to find the directions because of the GPS issue on the iPhone.

We have gathered a few possible reasons that might be responsible for causing this problem and they are listed below.

  1. Very weak and unstable Internet connection.
  2. Technical glitches within the iPhone.
  3. The location alert setting is disabled.
  4. Now allowing Maps to access Location services.
  5. Software bug with the Maps app.

We have researched a lot and gathered all possible troubleshooting ideas in the article which will help resolve this issue easily. If you are also facing this problem, continue reading to learn more.

Try These Fixes First

  1. Restart your iPhone – Sometimes, due to some technical errors, such problems occur on any device and this can be cleared by restarting the iPhone. So try restarting your iPhone once and see if you can access GPS on your iPhone.
  2. Update the iPhone software – When the iPhone software gets outdated, it will lead to issues as discussed above in the article. We recommend our users try updating their iPhones.
  3. Relocate to an Open Space – The GPS signals are very similar to the mobile network signals. They get lost when you are in remote locations like basements, tunnels, etc. Therefore, the best solution would be to move to an open area where iPhone can catch the strong GPS signal.

Fix 1 – Grant Location Access to the Maps app

Step 1: Open the Settings app.

Step 2: Click on the Maps option from the Settings menu list as shown below.

 

Maps settings 11zon



 

Step 3: Then select the Location option by tapping on it.

 

Location Maps settings 11zon

 

Step 4: Make sure you have selected the While Using the App or While Using the App or Widgets option.

 

While using in the app Maps 11zon

 

Fix 2 – Enable Location Alerts in Maps

Step 1: You should first launch the Settings app.

Step 2: On the Settings page, select the Screen Time option by tapping on it as shown below.

 

Screen time 11zon

 

Step 3: Then click on the Content & Privacy Restrictions option.

 

content and privacy restrictions 11zon

 

Step 4: Now click on the Location Services option under the Privacy section.

 

location services screen time 11zon

 

Step 5: Select the Allow changes option at the top as shown in the below image.

Step 6: After that, enable the Location Services option by clicking on its toggle switch.

Step 7: Once done, click on the Location Alerts option.

 

allow chages location services 11zon

 

Step 8: Now turn on the Show Map in Location Alerts option by clicking on the toggle button as shown below.

 

enable Show Map in location alerts 11zon

 

Fix 3 – Switch On the Mobile Data

If there is no internet connection on an iPhone, it can cause several issues for many apps which need a strong internet connection for a smooth run. So test the internet connection on your iPhone by browsing YouTube or a web browser. Also, make sure you have mobile data network enabled on your iPhone by going to Settings –> Mobile Data –> toggle Mobile Data.



 

enable mobile data 11zon

 

Fix 4 – Refresh all the network connectivities

Step 1: Open the Control Center page by swiping down your iPhone screen from the top right corner.

Step 2: Once you get the control center, tap on the Airplane Mode option at the top left side to enable it as shown below.

 

enable airplane mode 11zon

 

Step 3: This disconnects all the network connections from your iPhone.

Step 4: After waiting for some time, disable the Airplane Mode by tapping its option from Control Center as shown.

 

airplane mode disable 11zon



 

It will refresh all the network connections, even the mobile data network.

Fix 5 – Restart the Maps app

Step 1: Launch the App Switcher on your iPhone by swiping from the bottom left side towards up.

Step 2: From the App Switcher, search for the Maps app from the list and swipe it up.

 

force close Maps app 11zon

 

Step 3: This will forcibly close the Maps app on your iPhone.

Step 4: Now you should reopen the Maps app by clicking on its icon from the home screen.

 

Fix 6 – Reset the Network Settings

Many iPhone users found this method very effective since nothing else was working out for them in fixing this issue. Mostly, one of the network settings on your iPhone might be changed unknowingly.

So try resetting the network settings on your iPhone and this will rectify the problems caused due to the changes in the network settings.