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Location bounces around

When i check a location it sometimes shows one location and after a second or two will bounce to another. Does this mean that the person was at the first location just before I opened the app? I am not referring to when the signal is bouncing around.

iPhone 11 Pro, iOS 13

Posted on Sep 8, 2020 9:05 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 9, 2020 3:17 PM

Hello Camitt721,


Thank you for using Apple Support Communities! We see that you have a question about the location changing for a person using what sounds like the Find My app. We'd be happy to help provide more information.


The locations that you see are determined by a variety of factors such as cellular, Wi-Fi, GPS networks, and Bluetooth for the device you're trying to locate. When the device is connected to Wi-Fi in particular, it can be normal under certain circumstances for the location to change based on the IP address for the Wi-Fi network:


About privacy and Location Services in iOS and iPadOS - Apple Support


Additionally, you may be seeing the location bouncing around as described due to the following:


If Find My Friends isn't working - Apple Support


"If the location circle is too large, wait a few minutes, then try again. The device might be determining a more accurate location, or it might not be able to provide a more accurate location. This can happen if the device is indoors with no known Wi-Fi base station around."


Cheers!

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1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 9, 2020 3:17 PM in response to Camitt721

Hello Camitt721,


Thank you for using Apple Support Communities! We see that you have a question about the location changing for a person using what sounds like the Find My app. We'd be happy to help provide more information.


The locations that you see are determined by a variety of factors such as cellular, Wi-Fi, GPS networks, and Bluetooth for the device you're trying to locate. When the device is connected to Wi-Fi in particular, it can be normal under certain circumstances for the location to change based on the IP address for the Wi-Fi network:


About privacy and Location Services in iOS and iPadOS - Apple Support


Additionally, you may be seeing the location bouncing around as described due to the following:


If Find My Friends isn't working - Apple Support


"If the location circle is too large, wait a few minutes, then try again. The device might be determining a more accurate location, or it might not be able to provide a more accurate location. This can happen if the device is indoors with no known Wi-Fi base station around."


Cheers!

Location bounces around

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