Walman

Q: why has location services stopped working on my mac?

I have trawled the net and apple communities and followed all advice for unchecking/re checking and restarting, but still my mac book (pro late 2011 El Capita connected to home wifi) cannot find my location for Maps, Safari, time zone etc.

It was working a few weeks ago, but not now.  iPhone 6s on home wifi (with no 3g signal) works fine.

I have restarted my wifi router too.

 

I'm stuck what to try next?

OS X Yosemite (10.10.1)

Posted on Dec 6, 2015 4:57 AM

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Q: why has location services stopped working on my mac?

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  • by Linc Davis,Apple recommended

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Dec 6, 2015 9:48 AM in response to Walman
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Dec 6, 2015 9:48 AM in response to Walman

    Location Services (including automatic time zone selection, Maps, and "Find My Mac") relies on a database of Wi-Fi access points with known locations. You don't have to be connected to a wireless network, but Wi-Fi must be turned on and within range of one of those access points. Otherwise the machine won't be located at all, or the location will be wrong. Sometimes the location will be wrong because the database contains inaccurate data. That would happen, for example, if you moved from one place to another and took your Wi-Fi router with you. The router is still listed in the database, but at the old location.

    According to reports, if you connect to a Wi-Fi network with an iPhone, the location of the network will be sent to Apple and added to the database after a delay. An iPhone, unlike other Apple devices, has built-in GPS satellite navigation, and so can locate itself independently of Wi-Fi. The phone would have to be set to share diagnostic and usage information with Apple.

  • by Walman,

    Walman Walman Dec 6, 2015 11:41 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 6, 2015 11:41 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Many thanks.  I did see your answer on another thread.  However, I don't understand how it was working and it has stopped.  We have had the router for 18 months and not moved house.  A wifi only iPad has correct location and this Mac used to until this week.  Can't work out what's changed and no amount of resetting, restarting, geo.plist deletes etc etc has resolved the issue.

     

    Any more thoughts??

     

    Many thanks

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Dec 6, 2015 11:49 AM in response to Walman
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Dec 6, 2015 11:49 AM in response to Walman

    Does Location work anywhere else?

  • by Walman,

    Walman Walman Dec 7, 2015 1:31 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 7, 2015 1:31 PM in response to Linc Davis

    I'm now in a hotel in different part of country and all ok.

     

    So must be my home router.....odd.