Updating WiFi router location in Apple's database?

Actually, even the latest version of the Maps app (I'm using iOS 6.1.3 on an iPhone 5) does have this option. Here are the steps:

1. Tap on the blue dot. A black boxed entitled "Current Location" pops up.
2. Tap on the blue arrow in the black box.
3. Tap on the button called Report of Problem (now in the lower right of the screen)
4. Tap on Pin is at incorrect location
5. Tap on Next
6. Drag the purple pin which appears to the correct location
7. Tap Send

I've just tried this for the first time right now, so I don't know what effect it will have, but it's interesting to see it's possible.

I've long been wishing for a web form where I could submit the MAC address of my router, kind of like Skyhook used to allow (still does, here, it's just that Apple stopped using their data ages ago). But perhaps this procedure of reporting that the blue dot is in the wrong place does roughly the same thing? If so, it's probably even better, because it will give information about several routers at once.

Hi chcn

Just wondering if this ever worked for you. Did your location get updated/activated?

I've gone through the steps you describe - thanks, but only 24 hours ago. Be interesting to know of the likely outcome.

Paul

I'm not sure if it worked. I'm going to say no, based on the fact that I'm sitting in my den not three feet from my wireless router, and my iPhone is showing me about a block away, with the circle of uncertainty more than a city block in diameter. True, it's not got me in the wrong city or state, but I don't think the procedure above made it any more accurate than it was before. If I had to guess, I'd say it's estimating location based on the 8 or so WiFi routers it sees (probably none of which are located correctly in the database), and/or cell towers, and/or what little scattered GPS signals it can see out my window in this urban canyon. (Probably not much of the later, hence the large circle of uncertainty.) Sadly, it doesn't appear to be giving much weigh to the very strong router signal it's actually connected to.

Thanks for coming back with that information. From a couple of other threads I read it seems like it can be a long wait, if it happens at all.

I've got a WiFi/3g iPad that finds my home location, via wifi, so keep hoping that my location (rural France) will make it to the database. Neither of my Macs, nor the iPad touch know where they are!

If anything ever changes I'll post back noting how look it took for it to happen.

I'm curious how you know that your WiFi/3g iPad is finding your home location <i>via WiFi</>. The 3G iPads have built-in GPS receivers, and as far as I know, if Location Services is turned on, so is the GPS, so it's impossible to know if it's determining your location using WiFi, cell towers, GPS, or a combination of all three. Am I wrong?

No, I think you're right and my description is wrong. What I meant (not what I said 🙂) is that my iPad is only connected to the internet via wifi when I'm at home - 3g is never turned on, but it finds my location, presumably using the built-in GPS.

The Macs and iPod touch obviously have no GPS, but used to happily find my home location via wifi with my old router.

Ah, yes. I should have deduced that's what you meant from the other information you provided.

Anyway, I rather liked the idea that this might be a way to update the WiFi database, but I'm now thinking it probably doesn't do that, at least not directly. It might actually go into a queue for manual processing like other map error reports, in which case, good luck ever getting it fixed.

It's started working!!

Well, that's a pleasant surprise, woke up this morning and Location Services is now working on all the devices at home. It's 10 days since I got my new router so I don't think I can complain.

When I got the router and found this thread I went through the steps you described above and I reckon they've worked in my case. Thank you very much.

Or it's a coincidence and it started working because your GPS-enabled iPad (and/or someone else's iPhone) saw your router and automatically submitted its GPS location.

Could be - either way, I'm a happy chappy 🙂.

I just tried your steps of reporting in my router (i have actually 2 routers here) I will report back it it worked!

Just moved my old router from my house to parents' house about 2 hours flight away, and it still shows the location as my house, I only have WiFi devices (MBP, iPad WiFi and iPod touch), but I'll try updating using the same method above anyway.

I'll post here if there's any changes within the two weeks I'm staying here.

Thank you. After 14 years of ownership, 3 cellphone service providers, and 2 medical emergencies I finally decided to get internet service for my cabin. But when the wifi location on an iPad came up 2 states away my first thought was that this would be way, way worse in an emergency than Yahoo Maps putting my address nearly a mile away down the street. I've followed your clear instructions, seen the precise Iowa address at which my router must have been registered and am confident the database will be updated by my next visit. Plus, I don't need to call a tech. Super! Thanks!!!

I have the problem that neither my Retina MBP or wifi iPad have had the correct location for over two months now. They are in the wrong country. They both think they are still at my UK house in Sussex, UK, whereas I have been in the south of France since early April this year. Both of my iPhones have updated correctly via their GPS. I cannot connect my MBP and iPad to my iPhones, as in France, a hotspot connection to your 4G data plan on your phone is an additional paid service, which I don't have, as it is not required.

I have had a couple of long discussions with Apple over the last ten days and got up to the third level genius. They were stumped after trying all sort of things and deleting various plist and cache files. They suggested I registered the MAC addresses and geolocation of my local modems with Skyhook, which I did. I was then a bit of a party pooper, when I reminded them that Apple no longer used Skyhook as a location driver and hasn't done for over two years. My house in France is a bit isolated until later in the year, when other temporary residents turn up at their nearby houses for the summer season, so there are no other wifi signals for triangulation purposes. This is not a satisfactory situation, as if either of my devices were stolen, they would report the wrong location on "find my device". Location used to work perfectly when Apple used Skyhook. Apple needs to put a MAC geolocation reporting service in place like Skyhook still offers. Your location used to update between two days and a week after you reported a new MAC geolocation to Skyhook. If Apple's geolocation service is not satisfactory, as from lots of comments on the internet, it does not appear to be, then maybe they need to start paying Skyhook's service fee again.

Wilson

WilsonLaidlaw wrote:

This is not a satisfactory situation, as if either of my devices were stolen, they would report the wrong location on "find my device". Location used to work perfectly when Apple used Skyhook. Apple needs to put a MAC geolocation reporting service in place like Skyhook still offers. Your location used to update between two days and a week after you reported a new MAC geolocation to Skyhook. If Apple's geolocation service is not satisfactory, as from lots of comments on the internet, it does not appear to be, then maybe they need to start paying Skyhook's service fee again.

Apple is not reading here. Submit your feedback to Apple requesting such a change here:

http://www.apple.com/feedback

Best of luck.