location based reminders don't work in ios7 ?

I have just tried it on two of my friends iPhone 4S', both updated to iOS 7.0.2.

It worked as it should on one of them, but on the other one the same problem occured.

In iOS 7 location based Reminders no longer function unless the Reminders app is running in the background.

If I ask Siri to remind me of things when I arrive or leave a location she confirms the request by saying "Here is the reminder for when you get home, should I create it?" I then confirm and she says ,"I'll remind you". She doesn't mention that Reminders needs to be active in order to remind me.

If this is intended behavior in iOS 7 this is a major step backward in terms of intuitive functionality and ease of use. I mean, I'm asking Siri to remind me of stuff because I'm probably not going to remember to do something. Why should I have to additionally remember to have Reminders running in the background to receive a Reminder notification? Very counter intuitive.

Steps that I have taken to try and resolve issue:

• Restore as new iPhone and manually install all apps

• Make sure that Siri is accessing my correct home and office location through my contact information.

• Made sure Reminder is in my Notification Center and all notifications types are turned on in the Notification Center

• Make sure the Do Not Disturb feature is not running either manually or scheduled

• Make sure Siri is on and has "my info" correct

• Make sure Background App Refresh is on and that it is turned on for Reminders

• Make sure a sound has been selected for Reminders in the Sounds settings

• Make sure Location Services are turned on gloabally and that it is turned on for Reminders and Siri specifically.

• Make sure all System Services are turned on

• Make sure I have cell signal when I arrive at places I am supposed to be reminded at

Still doesn't work!!

Update:

I have found that Reminders WILL notify me, even if the app is NOT running in the foreground or background, ONLY IF the reminder is based on time (not location).

Reminders based on location will not work unless the Reminders app if running in the background. I spoke with two Senior Technical Advisors yesterday and they both agreed that this should not be happening. They put in bug tickets with the iOS Engineers and urged me to put in a bug report as well. You can put in your own bug report here:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

You're exactly correct. That's precisely the behavior a number of us have seen. Just like calendar alerts, the time-based ones work regardless of whether the app is open or not. Location seems to fall back to the Background App Refresh system, which requires that an app be in the background (in the multitasking list) for it to be given any location information. Keep submitting feedback and filing bug reports!

I tested this issue yesterday. I removed Reminders from the multitasking bar, and, as others have noted, Reminders did not notify me on arriving at the set location.

Once Reminders was started again, it worked normally.

Also of interest:

"iOS: Force an app to close": http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5137

"Note:

It's typically unnecessary to force an application to close unless the app is unresponsive. You can view all recently used apps by double-clicking the Home button. These apps are not open; they are in a suspended state.
Additional Information
If you close an app that has been configured to receive background notifications, it will no longer receive them until it has been reopened."

"iOS: Understanding multitasking": http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4211

"If you close an app multitasking interface, it won't be able to refresh in the background.”

Right, as I noted back on page two.

In my use of my iPhone (32 GB), I think Reminders never gets shut down by iOS. I use Reminders at least daily. So after either the update to 7.0.2 or deleting and replacing the location-based reminder (unfortunately I did two things at once), everything's just worked for me.

But some people may use the phone in a way that might make iOS quit Reminders dynamically. And apparently, it doesn't become active to respond to the location.

Thanks for this information, @laurentfromcupertino. This is a change in behavior from iOS 6, where you could allow apps to poll for location even when completely "closed". For example, Dropbox has an automatic camera uploading feature that would upload photos almost as they are taken, on wifi only, or, if you prefer, also on 3G/LTE. This worked even if you never opened Dropbox, or remembered to leave it in the background.

If all this is a deliberate design change, then it is a terrible decision, as it puts the onus on the user to "know" to open apps when they want them to give information now or in the future. Yes, it eliminates "phantom" battery usage from apps that aren't open anymore but still have permission to use location. But it makes us need to leave any apps that can use location open all the time to use when they feel necessary. There has to be a better middle ground, where we can choose which apps are permitted to use location (and data) when completely closed, as well as when open (like GPS apps).

EDIT: Apologies for the rant. It just feels like an amazing operating system and device is forcing us to go backwards in usability.

It must be a bug since it is working as in iOS 6 for some iOS 7 users. Also the fact that reminders created with Siri doesnt trigger as it should.

I really hope that it will be fixed within the next couple of weeks. Maybe already in iOS 7.0.3

I completely agree with umparrothead this is horrible behavior if it is intended. While I am still not convinced that this is intended behavior, I see a few issues with relying on the Reminder app to run in background if the user wants location based alerts:

1) If the Reminders app unexpectedly quits... as apps often do, then the location based reminder will not set off an alert, this is a huge step backward both in function and technology.

2) Even with the Reminders app off, If you ask Siri to remind you to do something when you leave or arrive somewhere she will reply "Here is your reminder for when you arrive/leave______." She then responds, "Shall I create it?" and finally she gives you this comforting reassurance, "Ok I'll reminder you". However, if Reminders isn't running then Siri just told you a big fat lie, she won't remind you.

In lue of these two points either location based Reminders should be exempt from this new background app management or there should be a safety net for location based Reminders if the app crashes. Further more, if location based Reminders don't work unless Reminders is running in the background then any location based Reminders made through Siri should prompt a warning like, "I'm sorry Bob, but the Reminders app must be launched if you want location based reminders to work." This seems completely in-line with Siri's current behavior. Example, if you ask Siri to launch an app when your phone is locked, then she replies, "You will need to unlock your iPhone first"

Solution:

Navigate to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset Location and Privacy.

After resetting location and privacy, ask Siri to remind you to do something when you arrive to (or leave from) a known location. Siri will ask you to give her permission to access your location. Once you have done so, ask Siri to remind you to do something when you arrive to (or leave from) a known location. Siri will then ask you to allow reminders to access your location. Once you have done so, location based reminders should work.

Reminders does not need to be open to get alerts.

Should fix Find My Friends notifications as well.

Allow Reminders to run in background.

It doesnt work for me, abw5 😐

Unfortunately I have tired all this before, including erasing all data from my phone and starting as a "new" phone, then bringing one app at a time onto the phone......a painful process which also yeilded no better results. I tried reseting all settings, including location and privacy with no luck. If it were this simple all these people would not be so frustrated. Hopefully apple fixes this in their next update!!

I just did this and it looks like it worked... My location icon is running on top and i dont have reminders running in the background... Lets see if i get my reminder when i get home..

Find my friends works perfect now.. I dont need it to be running in order to have soimeone locate me.. The location icon is still running on top and i haven't opened Reminders not once!.. it's looking good... @abw5