allicat1998
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Q: Does the Find iPhone service have connectivity problems?

I have two iPhone 4s devices that share the same apple ID, and both are set up with the Find My iPhone app.  The service has always worked well in the past, and it has come in handy when needing to find a misplaced phone (especially with my forgetful son!).  Both devices have always shown up on the device list, and the the only time the phone can't locate if it's turned off or doesn't have service.  The dot is grey, but it's still on the list.  Eventually it will locate when the phone is in service again.

 

Well, the other day I noticed that my son's phone wasn't on the list at all, even though it had been on there previously that afternoon.  When questioned if he is turning the app off on his phone, he said no and claimed that it must be some sort of connectivity issue.  When I searched online about it, some forums had people who said that they had some devices that weren't listed for some reason or another (different apple IDs, itunes, etc).  But what I basically gathered is that the only reason that the device shouldn't be listed is if Find My iPhone is turned off under settings on that particular device.  I tried this with my phone, and sure enough, it wasn't listed either.  Mine has never turned off on its own.  And even when I turn off Location Services in general, it is still listed but says that it cannot be located because location services is off.  So is turning off the app under settings ultimately the answer to a device not being listed?  Thank you in advance!

iPhone 4S, iOS 6.1.2

Posted on Aug 7, 2013 7:08 PM

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allicat1998

Q: Does the Find iPhone service have connectivity problems?

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  • by sheila_m.,

    sheila_m. sheila_m. Aug 10, 2013 6:50 AM in response to allicat1998
    Community Specialists
    Aug 10, 2013 6:50 AM in response to allicat1998

    Hello allicat1998,

     

    Thank you for the details of the Find My iPhone issue you are expereincing.  You did some really good research, and you are right, one of the reasons an iPhone may not appear is if Find My iPhone is turned off in Settings>iCloud.  I found an article that provides a few more reasons why a device may not appear in your list of devices:

     

    Device does not appear in Find My iPhone

    This can occur if:

    • The date on your device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch) is incorrect. This can be set in Settings > General > Date & Time.
    • Your device is not up-to-date. It needs to have iOS 5 or later.
    • Your iCloud account is not configured on your device. Enter your iCloud account information in Settings > iCloud.
    • You have multiple iCloud accounts entered on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Only one account can have Find My iPhone turned on at a given time. Log in to Find My iPhone with your other iCloud accounts until your device is listed.
    • You have already started an erase of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. The device will not appear on the page until it is reconfigured with your iCloud account information.
    • There is scheduled maintenance or another issue affecting Find My iPhone. Check iCloud Support to see if this is the case.
    • Your device has lost network connectivity. If you have access to your device, and it appears to have an active Internet connection, enable and then disable Airplane mode. If you continue to have issues, turn the device off and back on.

     

    The last two items listed may be particularly useful if you experience the same issue in the future.   You can find the full article here:

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

    http://support.apple.com/kb/ts4006

     

    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

     

    Best,

    Sheila M.