Find my iPhone doesn't work

Question

Find my iPhone doesn't work

After having my first iPhone stolen, I decided to try the app "Find my iphone" on my friend's loaner iPhone 3GS to see how and if it really works.

When I turned it on, I ensured that these were all setup:

- Location Services: ON

- Find My iPhone: ON

- Cellular Data: ON (3 Bars Service at the time)

- WiFi: ON and connected to the router

- Internet utilizing apps: ON and in use

Doing all this, I went to iCloud.com and decided to locate the phone, and test out the Find my iPhone feature. After 5 attempts to locate and 1 attempt to send the phone a message, it still came up as "No Location" and then "Offline".

I was browsing the internet on iPhone's Safari App, while these "finding attempts" were going on. What a miserable fail.

Now I'm wondering if whoever stole my iPhone 4S is actually browsing the internet and having a wonderful time while I sit here miserable, thinking that this feature actually provided a service that I could use to find my phone. Appears to me, through my experience, that this is a total fluke.

My sister's Droid actually has a phone finding app that works. It was very disappointing to hear that her non-Apple product topped the abilities of my iPhone 4S. As much as it hurts, I actually decided that I will switch to that new Samsung sIII in the following week. I feel like I got jipped by my favorite company 😟

iPhone 4S, iOS 5.1.1, iPhone 3GS test also

Posted on Sep 4, 2012 12:35 AM

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Answer 1

Junni124

Level 1

4 points

May 19, 2017 6:26 AM in response to karup.meyyappan

I brought a used set online when it was delivered I check and found a screen lock on that device I checked and got that find my iphone is off so what can I do now ?? I dont have apple ID and password can I restore using ITUNES ?? Will my iphone Icloud lock or not??

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Answer 2

Sep 4, 2012 1:02 AM in response to karup.meyyappan

Did you actually come here for some help, or just to whinge and tell us you're switching to a Samsung?

Find my iPhone works perfectly for me and for many, many other people. Basing your whole decision to switch to another platform simply based on one single experience with one single feature seems rather over dramatic.

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Answer 3

Sep 4, 2012 7:17 AM in response to Julian Wright

Well, ideally I would like to know why this feature does not work! I still have not received my message from "Find my iPhone."

If anyone has an explanation as to what might be missing from this equation, that I might need to turn on, I would appreciate it. It's not one experience with this app not working that is upsetting, it's the fact that I was robbed of this phone and I tried using the utility that could've helped me find it, but got nothing. When I tested it a second time on another iPhone, it surprised me that nothing came up. Maybe I had just one bad coincidence where both phones' apps didn't work, but it took a lot of money to get here. That's all. I'm a big Apple fan, iPad and the MacBook Pro, etc. It's just the "Find my iPhone" not working in both instances that really annoyed me.

So again, I just wanted to know what to do to make it work. Am I forgetting a crucial step? That was the underlying message/question. If someone can do that, please respond! It's not trying to "whinge" --- just stating what had happened.

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Answer 4

Sep 4, 2012 7:44 AM in response to karup.meyyappan

iCloud: Troubleshooting Find My iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac

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Answer 5

Oct 10, 2012 1:52 PM in response to karup.meyyappan

find my friends has to be authorized by your friend. so has that step been done?

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Answer 6

Oct 14, 2012 4:33 AM in response to karup.meyyappan

I am having the same issue. I have 3 iPhones in the house and I just lost one.

I hit find my iPhone and it found two of them immediately.

The missing one did not show and said it was offline. I tried to play sounds and I hit lock.

When I finally found it was in the house, full battery, full signal etc and wifi signal. By this time I havd searched other proeprties and got frineds searching for it.

I then put it in the same room as the other one, only a few feet from the router, so absolutely no connection issues.

I hit find it - got offline!

I hit play sound - no sound

I hit lock - nothing happened!

It did play a sound about 25 minutes later!

So karup.meyyappan you are not alone!

I checked out the troubleshooting page and there was nothing there that I had not tried. I am not whingeing - just want to know what is wrong so that if I do have a serious incident, I am ready!

iPhone4S on ios6 & iPhone 3GS on ios5

Message was edited by: oldmisstreacle

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Answer 7

Oct 26, 2012 9:29 AM in response to karup.meyyappan

I was having the same issue with my iPad and iPhone. All I did was go into Settings>Privacy>Location Services and I turned the Find my iPhone/iPad off. Waited about 30 seconds. Then turned it back on. It then asked me to allow the device to be found. I clicked 'Allow' and no everything is fine.

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Answer 8

Oct 26, 2012 10:29 AM in response to mat_harris

Sounds a good plan - but if it isn't reliable it is useles!Q Don't wnat it to switch off the one time that I lose the phone!

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Answer 9

Oct 26, 2012 10:49 AM in response to oldmisstreacle

I know what you mean but I think it jus needs to be reset. That's why I thought that turning it off then back on would do it. Hopefully you would only have to do it the one time

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Answer 10

Nov 6, 2012 2:02 PM in response to mat_harris

Your sollution worked for me, too. Thanks.

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Answer 11

tannebs

Level 1

0 points

Nov 10, 2012 9:23 PM in response to karup.meyyappan

I'm having the same problem, my ipad shows up on my iphone5, computers, and even the ipad, the iphone 5...nada,zip. Same settings, etc, shut off everything, switched location settings on,off , on. I have more concern over losing the phone over the ipad. What to do??

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Answer 12

Nine11c2

Level 1

0 points

Dec 7, 2012 1:21 PM in response to Julian Wright

Julian, this is a major feature for me. I gave my son my 4s so I could find him. It hasn't worked for days for his phone or the iPad I'm on, which clearly is on the net. I can't think of a better reason for switching to Samsung than features that work better....

YOu could add in bigger screens, more functionality, more customization capability and help for problems like this...

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Answer 13

Suppa

Level 1

10 points

Jan 16, 2013 3:43 AM in response to karup.meyyappan

Hi guys, add me to the list of users for which "Find my phone" didn't work despite my iPad was connected to the internet and all the setting were turned on.

I've tried all your suggestions but nope, all what I was able to get was my iPad on the device list but always offline and because it was never found (that was my first attempt to track it) there wasn't even an old location stored on iCloud.

Ok, this is what worked for me (and hopefully for you too!) on my iPad first generation with iOS 5.1 using the wifi network:

- I've simply changed the DNS setting of the wifi network I was using (Settings>Wifi>"yourlocalnetwork") to the Google public DNS (I've opted for the IPv4 DNS 8.8.8.8) instead my default one that was 10.1.1.1 and it worked like a charm!

Immediately recognised as online, able to send to the device a sound and able to send from the iPad a sound to my other iCloud devices.

Let me know if this helps ;)

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Answer 14

Suppa

Level 1

10 points

Jan 16, 2013 3:46 AM in response to Suppa

For those interested in knowing more about Public DNS configuration have a look at this article:

https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/

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Answer 15

orubin

Level 1

8 points

Feb 7, 2013 11:50 PM in response to karup.meyyappan

Had the same problem as well. A few things to note:

The phone or iPad you are trying to find does NOT have to have the app installed to be found. Just the setting enabled as mentioned above.

I tried all the things above with zero luck, and then noticed on the phone that could not found, that the VPN indicator was "lit". I was using Onavo, a data compression app that use the VPN hook to send compressed data when on cell network to save you data usage. Seems it was trying on ALL THE TIME. And when on, the phone was not able to be found. As soon as I turned off the VPN connect on demand, and the VPN indicator went out, the phone was IMMEDIATELY found.

So it seems that networks with strict firewalls or VPNs may stop the phone from being pinged by the Find Your Phone system, and this they never report back.

Just one more failure to look for.

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