Completely wrong country showing in Find My iPad App

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Level 1

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Completely wrong country showing in Find My iPad App

My (wifi only) iPad mini, bought new in a US Apple store and running latest IOS7, shows my location in Find My iPad/iPhone App as moving around the region of Granada in Spain, however I'm in the UK and have been for the last 6 months!

Moreover, I've not been to Spain recently, and never to Granada.

Wifi connection is standard UK domestic broadband via BT.

Has anyone - including Apple - any idea why this might be?

I alerted my iPad via the FindMyIpad webpage on iCloud and it bleeped, so the correct iPad is linked to the account. But naturally I am now wondering if there is a clone of my iPad in Spain.......

Have done recommended 'fixes' such as turn Airplane mode on and off, log out and back in again, etc.

Thanks

iPad, iOS 6.1.4

Posted on Jan 2, 2014 5:29 AM

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Answer 1

JimHdk

Level 7

28,898 points

Jan 2, 2014 6:31 AM in response to Birdsong

If you have the WiFi-only iPad your location is determined by the location of nearby WiFi routers. The WiFi-only iPad does not have GPS. Without GPS location-finding is done by using a Apple location database which contains the MAC addresses of routers and their physical location. A MAC address is a unique number which is built-in to all network devices when manufactured. The Apple database is built and updated by Apple GPS-enabled devices (primarily iPhones) actually seeing your router and then adding/updating the router's location in the database.

Bottom line: Your WiFi Router is probably not yet properly located in the Apple location database. If your router or a nearby router had been previously used and located by Apple in Spain your iPad will think that it is in Spain.

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Answer 2

Birdsong Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 2, 2014 8:42 AM in response to Nathan-D

Thanks for a GPS 101 and other suggestions. As posted, my iPad is wifi only and already presumed Apple's use of wifi hotspot databases for geo-location. The ipad correctly positions me on Apple maps which strongly suggests Apple's database already has the knowledge of wifi connection (similarly Google maps and other location-aware all apps correctly identify my six year old WiFi A.P.), so it was a surprise that FindMyIpad app/website insists I'm in Spain. The fixed line broadband connection behind the wifi is provided by a Brirish company, which tends to rule out network IP addresses being confused with Spain, and as it's not on a mobile network, rules out multinational mobile companies (such as O2) playing unliklely (but not unheard of) games with their IP routings or DNS,

Thanks to ouuo for your suggestion - I will try another wifi hotspot when i can locate one.

The underlying observation inherent in my question - which I would like Apple CS to answer, please - is whether there is any possibility here of MAC cloning or some other cloning/replicating going on.

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