Mac mini M4: Location services & Continuity Camera problems

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Level 1

4 points

Mac mini M4: Location services & Continuity Camera problems

Mac mini M4: Maps can’t determine location, automatic time zone is wrong, and Continuity Camera only works over USB. Hi everyone, I’m having several strange issues with my new Mac mini M4, and I’m wondering if they could be related.

Problems:

Apple Maps

- Maps cannot determine my current location.
- It says location services are unavailable even though they are enabled.
- Weather also cannot determine my location automatically.

Automatic time zone

- “Set time zone automatically using current location” does not work correctly.
- The Mac detects the wrong time zone (for example, Cupertino or New York), although my iPhone on the same Wi-Fi network detects the correct location and time zone.

Continuity Camera

- My iPhone 16 Pro is not available as a wireless Continuity Camera.
- If I connect it with a USB cable, it works perfectly as a camera.

What I have already tried:

Reinstalled macOS Tahoe.
Created a completely new user account.
Tested on a different Wi-Fi network (using my iPhone hotspot).
Verified that Location Services are enabled.
Verified that Maps has permission to access Location Services.
Checked Screen Time restrictions.
Signed in and out of Apple ID.
The problems remain exactly the same.

My configuration

Mac mini M4
macOS Tahoe 26.4
iPhone 16 Pro with iOS 26.5.2

Has anyone experienced something similar?

Posted on Jul 28, 2026 6:53 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 29, 2026 1:09 AM in response to gerrud84

Unlike iPhones, Macs don't have GPS chip so they rely on neighborhood Wi-Fi devices to triangulate the location. And sometimes in rural area etc that does not work.

You can manually set the location via System Settings > Date & Time > Closest City after turning "Set time zone automatically..." OFF.

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Answer 2

gerrud84 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 29, 2026 2:23 AM in response to Matti Haveri

Thanks for your reply.

I understand that Macs determine their location using nearby Wi-Fi networks rather than GPS, and I have already tried setting the time zone manually. That solves the incorrect time issue, but unfortunately it doesn’t solve the main problem.

Apple Maps still cannot determine my location even though Location Services are enabled and Maps has permission to use them. Weather also cannot detect my location automatically.

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