Why is Share My Location unavailable on iOS 17, and how to fix it?

Location sharing is incredibly useful, whether for meeting friends, keeping an eye on family members, or navigating a new city. That said, some iPhone users on iOS 17 have reported seeing the Share My Location Unavailable error on their devices.

Thankfully, it’s quite easy to fix it. In this guide, we’ll check out some solutions you can try to get location sharing working smoothly on your device again.

Why is location sharing unavailable on your iPhone?

Before diving into the fixes, it helps to understand why you might be experiencing this issue. It could be a simple setting that’s turned off, a temporary glitch, or even outdated software. Here are some factors that could cause the issue.

• Disabled Location Services: Your Location Services might be turned off.
• Find My settings: The Share My Location feature under Find My might be disabled.
• Airplane Mode: Your phone might be in Airplane Mode.
• Passcode settings: Not having a passcode set for your iPhone can sometimes interfere with location services.
• Incorrect date and time: Your phone’s date and time settings might be incorrect.
• Screen Time Restrictions: Screen Time settings could be restricting location sharing.
• Software issues: Your iPhone is running a version of iOS that’s either outdated or has issues.

9 ways to fix the Share My Location Unavailable error in iOS 17

With the possible causes for the issue out of the way, let’s see how to fix the Share Location Unavailable error on an iPhone.

1. Restart your iPhone

Sometimes a simple restart can work wonders. Depending upon your iPhone’s model, the actual method to restart your iPhone may vary. Once done, try to check if the feature is now working or not.

2. Turn on Location Services

In order to share your location, you need to ensure that your iPhone’s Location Services are enabled. Here’s how to do that:

1. Open Settings and go to Privacy & Security → Location Services.
2. Here, enable the toggle next to Location Services.
   
   
3. Once done, try sharing your location once again.

3. Turn on Share My Location in Find My

If you’re sharing your location with your friends or family using the Find My app, you need to ensure the app has the permission to share your location. Follow these steps to enable it if it isn’t already:

1. Open the Find My app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Me in the bottom tab.
3. Enable the toggle next to Share My Location.
   
   

4. Turn Airplane Mode on and off

Sometimes, you may see the Share Location Unavailable error on your iPhone when there’s a problem with your cellular connection. In this case, toggling Airplane Mode on and off can reset your network connection, which might be causing the issue. This is how you do it:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Enable the toggle next to Airplane Mode at the top.
3. Wait for 15-20 seconds, and then disable the toggle.
4. Alternatively, you can open the Control Center, tap the Airplane Mode icon, wait a few seconds, and tap it again. 

5. Check your iPhone’s date and time settings

Similar to how incorrect date and time settings cause most web apps to fail, the location-sharing feature also goes for a toss when your iPhone isn’t set to the correct date and time. Here’s how to check for the same.

1. Open Settings and go to General → Date & Time.
2. Toggle on the button next to Set Automatically.
   
   

Your iPhone should now sync the time with the data provided by the carrier for the most accurate details. Once done, try sharing your location again to see if the issue has been resolved.

6. Configure Screen Time settings

If you have Screen Time restrictions enabled for Location Services, you might need to adjust them, as having this setting enabled can also block location sharing. Here’s how:

1. In the Settings app, go to Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions.
2. Tap on Location Services under Privacy.
   
   
3. Enable the toggle next to Location Services.
4. Next, tap on Share My Location.
5. Here, make sure the toggle next to Share My Location is also enabled.
   
   
6. Now, go back and scroll down to the list of installed apps that are using your location.
7. Tap on the app you wish to share your location in. Set the Location access to either While Using the App or Always. Also, enable the toggle next to Precise Location for better results.
   
   

7. Set a passcode on your iPhone

Believe it or not, having a passcode can help fix the location sharing unavailable issue on the iPhone. It’s one of the recommended fixes on Apple Community and is said to have helped some users.

Go to Settings → Face ID & Passcode and set a secure passcode. Alternatively, you can even set up an alphanumeric passcode on your iPhone, if you desire. Once done, you can further set up Face ID or Touch ID, depending upon what your iPhone supports, for easier unlocking.

8. Reset Location and Privacy settings

There might be an underlying setting that is still restricting you from sharing your location. Rather than digging deeper, the easier way is to simply reset all your Location and Privacy settings to their defaults. Follow the steps below to do so:

1. Head over to Settings and go to General → Transfer or Reset iPhone.
2. Here, tap on Reset.
3. Finally, select Reset Location & Privacy.
   
4. Enter your passcode to confirm.

9. Update your iPhone to the latest iOS

It’s possible that you may not be able to share your location due to a software bug in the software build you’re running on your iPhone. The good news is that Apple frequently pushes out updates. Keeping your iPhone up-to-date with the latest software fixes often resolves bugs and improves performance.

So go ahead and update your iPhone to the latest iOS version. Once done, try sharing your location again.

Signing off…

In most cases, the above-mentioned steps should easily resolve your issues. However, if you’ve tried all these steps and Share My Location is still unavailable or doesn’t work properly, don’t hesitate to contact Apple Support for further assistance. They can help diagnose the problem and provide additional solutions.

Also read:

• How to fix Location Services not working on iPhone
• How to fix ‘Visual Voicemail is Currently Unavailable’ error on iPhone
• What iPhone apps track your activity, and how do you stop them?