Signed in Apple ID on MacBook Air, the warning message on my iPhone showed a different location

Question

Signed in Apple ID on MacBook Air, the warning message on my iPhone showed a different location

Hi all,

I have a MacBook Air since 2014 (iOS version 10.10.5), purchased from Berlin. Since 1 month ago I have this new iPhone SE (Version 11.1.2), purchased in Nürnberg. Both devices are now in Nürnberg, Germany. Location services have been switched 'On'.

The problem started one week ago. Every time I sign in to my Apple ID on MacBook Air. Immediately after that, there comes a warning message on my iPhone 'Apple ID Sign in Requested: your Apple ID is being used to sign in to a device near Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia'. I chose to press the 'Allow' button on iPhone and to enter the verification code which showed up on iPhone screen to my Macbook. But I am still a little bit confused. I mean, we are not even close to Düsseldorf, me and my Apple devices.

I just wanted to know if this is normal, that my macbook location is identified falsely to a different city in Germany. Should I be worried about it? What can I do to fix the problem? Since there is no Apple Store in Nürnberg, (well, the kind of Apple Stores we usually go to, which has a whole second-floor as service section :-) and my German is really limited, please kindly give me advice. What should I do now?

Thanks in advance.

Julie

iPhone SE, iOS 11.1.2

Posted on Dec 13, 2017 5:26 AM

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Answer 1

madra31

Level 6

9,940 points

Dec 13, 2017 5:34 AM in response to juliezhouvarga

Since the message appears after you attempt to login it certainly seems normal. Of course, you could "Trust' the device and then messages would only appear if there were a reason for concern .

It is not uncommon for locations where the login is attempted to appear to be different from the actual location. That is simply a question of how the underlying networks are configured. Admittedly, in your case the distance is quite considerable.

You might be better off (perhaps with the assistance of a German-speaking friend) reviewing the matter with the cell phone carrier or ISP and discusssing your concerns there. Apple is unlikely to be able to provide much assistance since this is a network rather than device or iOS issue.

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