JackThePenguin

Q: How can I get maps to locate my device?

On the maps application, I click the current location button and it prompts me with "Maps cannot locate the current position". This is also a problem with the time zone settings because it cannot automatically find my time zone. In settings, location services is turned on for maps but I'm still getting this problem. Any help?

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.2)

Posted on Jul 7, 2016 4:53 PM

Close

Q: How can I get maps to locate my device?

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Carolyn Samit,

    Carolyn Samit Carolyn Samit Jul 7, 2016 5:00 PM in response to JackThePenguin
    Level 10 (120,054 points)
    Apple Watch
    Jul 7, 2016 5:00 PM in response to JackThePenguin

    Go to iCloud.com then sign in then click:  Find my iPhone

  • by JackThePenguin,

    JackThePenguin JackThePenguin Jul 7, 2016 5:03 PM in response to Carolyn Samit
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 7, 2016 5:03 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

    I can see my iPad and iPhone on the map, but when I click on my mac it says "Online, no location available."

  • by Drew Reece,

    Drew Reece Drew Reece Jul 7, 2016 5:49 PM in response to JackThePenguin
    Level 5 (7,480 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 7, 2016 5:49 PM in response to JackThePenguin

    Your Mac does not have a built in GPS receiver. It cannot find your location as accurately as an iOS device - that is just how it is. iOS devices also use cellular, wifi & bluetooth for locations too.

     

    Mac's can use IP based locations (that can be very inaccurate) and it can also use wifi which is also rough accuracy. Sadly not all wifi access points are in the location databases that are used for wifi based location services.

     

    All you can hope is that eventually Apple (or other geolocation database providers like Google) update their databases with the wifi data. You can help this process by enabling 'Send diagnostic & usage info to Apple' on your iOS devices in the privacy settings. They will combine the data from iOS to eventually update their location databases with the visible wifi access points.

     

    You should probably check you have set a 'Me card' with your address in the Contacts application. That way you can select your home address when requesting directions by typing 'home' in the maps app.