Not receiving iphone's last known location!

John_B1 wrote:

Hi All,

I lost/misplaced iphone 5 and trying to get its last known location but it is not showing anything. I am still under 24 hours window because I used it yesterday evening...

I've just tried to find my two devices after both had been used in the last hour, the iPhone X showed up immediately and when refreshed kept up to date. The iPad mini 2 though wouldn't show, it just said "offline" which is strange because it has full battery and is down stairs well within wireless range.

I gave it a little longer but no matter what I clicked in "Find My iPhone" it still failed to show the device or it's last location when used, so I opened the iPad and left the screen on and when returning to "Find My iPhone" it duly showed up. The strange thing is when the iPad went back to sleep it kept showing and updating in "Find My iPhone".

I can only conclude that the iPad when sleeping during the first attempt at location wasn't connecting with the network for some reason, why that was I'm not sure, but if I had actually lost it I don't believe Find My iPhone would have found it!

I'm not sure but may be older devices behave a little differently when connecting with Find My iPhone and if that is so your 5 might be doing the same, it could be why it's not showing even though you are still within the 24hrs window.

Hi John_B1,

Thanks for reaching out in Apple Support Communities. I understand that you've recently lost your iPhone but you're unable to see a last known location displayed when using Find My iPhone. I know how important it is to take action when your phone has been lost; I'd like to provide some information. Find My iPhone will display the last known location of your device for up to 24 hours if "Send Last Location" was turned on when you first enabled the Find My iPhone feature on your device; take a look at the information below:

"Set up Find My iPhone

1. Go to Settings  > Privacy, then turn on Location Services.
2. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Find My iPod touch.
3. Turn on Find My iPod touch.
4. To have your device send its last location prior to the battery running out, turn on Send Last Location."

Use Find My iPhone to locate your device

"If you see "Offline," "No location available," or "Location Services Off," your device might be offline for one of these reasons:

• It's powered off, the battery has run out, or more than 24 hours passed since the last location was sent to Apple (if Send Last Location is turned on). When your device is connected to the Internet, you can see the remaining battery in the upper-right corner of the information pane. 
• Your Find My iPhone-compatible device or Mac isn't connected to a known Wi-Fi or data network. Wait a few minutes and try again.
• You're in a country or region where we don't offer this feature. This feature might not be available in your country or region due to technical limitations or local law.

You can still play a sound, send a message, issue a lock request, or start an erase of your iOS device with Find My iPhone. Your device receives the command after you turn on your device and connect to the Internet.

If you contact your wireless service provider to report your device lost or stolen, they might deactivate your SIM card or account. This turns off service for your iPhone and you won't be able to find, play a sound, send a message, issue a lock request, or start an erase of your iOS device with Find My iPhone. However, we'll help you learn how to protect your information.

Your device's last known location is available for one day. If your device is offline or can't connect to Find My iPhone for more than 24 hours, you won't be able to see the last known location."

Get help with Find My iPhone

I'd recommend taking the steps suggested here to protect your data: If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is lost or stolen

Best Regards.