bobditch

Q: Location Services not working with Yosemite 10.10.2 on new iMac

I live in Charlotte NC, but my location service shows me in Yuba City, CA. I've removed "com.apple.GEO.plist" from Preferences folder, re-Enabled Location Services in Security & Privacy, but my google searches in Safari and my weather app in menu bar always show Yuba City... what gives?

FYI - I just installed a new Airport Extreme and this is a new iMac.

iMac (27-inch, Late 2013), OS X Yosemite (10.10.2)

Posted on Mar 11, 2015 6:57 AM

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Q: Location Services not working with Yosemite 10.10.2 on new iMac

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  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Mar 11, 2015 2:50 PM in response to bobditch
    Level 9 (71,155 points)
    iTunes
    Mar 11, 2015 2:50 PM in response to bobditch

    What location is shown in System Preferences/Date & Time/Time Zone?

  • by bobditch,

    bobditch bobditch Mar 11, 2015 3:05 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 11, 2015 3:05 PM in response to Eric Root

    It shows my correct location under System Prefs > Date & Time > Time Zone and I have the box checked for "Set time zone automatically using current location"

    This is all very strange. If I do a google search for, say, a movie theater in either Safari or Chrome it shows Yuba City as my location. I have the "Degrees Pro.app" in my menu bar and if I set the location to "automatic" it gives the weather for Yuba City.

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Mar 11, 2015 4:04 PM in response to bobditch
    Level 9 (71,155 points)
    iTunes
    Mar 11, 2015 4:04 PM in response to bobditch

    Have you tired connecting to the Internet using Wi-Fi?

  • by Barney-15E,

    Barney-15E Barney-15E Mar 11, 2015 5:34 PM in response to bobditch
    Level 9 (50,062 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 11, 2015 5:34 PM in response to bobditch

    Someone nearby has a WiFi router that was last known to exist in Yuba City, CA.

    You Mac has neither a GPS receiver nor a cellular connection. Therefore it gets its location based on the known locations of the WiFi access points it sees. Since your WiFi access point is brand new, it has no known location. WiFi access points are located by iPhones and iPads with cellular connections reporting their location along with the WiFi access points currently in view. Until enough location information gets sent to Apple, either for your Airport Extreme or your neighbor's WiFi, your location on the Mac will be in error. Set it manually.

  • by bobditch,

    bobditch bobditch Mar 11, 2015 5:55 PM in response to Barney-15E
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 11, 2015 5:55 PM in response to Barney-15E

    So... where does "location services" in the Security & Privacy get my location from?

    Does it get my location from my ATT U-verse router?

  • by bobditch,

    bobditch bobditch Mar 11, 2015 5:57 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 11, 2015 5:57 PM in response to Eric Root

    Eric... same problem with cat-5 or wifi.

  • by Barney-15E,

    Barney-15E Barney-15E Mar 11, 2015 6:01 PM in response to bobditch
    Level 9 (50,062 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 11, 2015 6:01 PM in response to bobditch

    bobditch wrote:

     

    So... where does "location services" in the Security & Privacy get my location from?

    Does it get my location from my ATT U-verse router?

    Location Services gets your location as I described above.

    When you browse a web page, the web server has no idea where you are, but it does know your ATT IP address. If that address is registered someplace other than your home area, then the web pages (including weather pages) will assume you are in that area and provide default content for that area. If the web page asks to use Location Services (which it must), then it will get the location from Location Services.

  • by bobditch,

    bobditch bobditch Mar 11, 2015 6:14 PM in response to Barney-15E
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 11, 2015 6:14 PM in response to Barney-15E

    Why is it that the my location is correct for time zone but not correct for my weather app; they both use location services?

  • by Barney-15E,

    Barney-15E Barney-15E Mar 11, 2015 6:21 PM in response to bobditch
    Level 9 (50,062 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 11, 2015 6:21 PM in response to bobditch

    Most computer-based weather apps use your external IP address for location, as I mentioned, or an entered location.

    The weather widget in the Notifications should be using Location Services.

    The Date & Time Time Zone is using Location Services.

     

    Based on all of the information given, your Location Services is correctly locating you, but you seem to think web pages have access to that info, and they do not. Neither does your weather App.

  • by bobditch,

    bobditch bobditch Mar 11, 2015 6:32 PM in response to Barney-15E
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 11, 2015 6:32 PM in response to Barney-15E

    I just rebooted my router and all is well.

    Safari has access to my location vis Location Services as well as the weather app. When you "Enable Location Services" in Security & Privacy you are given a list of applications you can select to determine your location (Safari & my weather app being 2 of them)