Location Services not working in iOS 17.4.1? 9 Ways to fix it!

Written By Ayush Reviewed By How-to iPhone 7 Min Read

Whether you are using Maps to find routes to the nearest café or simply want to track the location of your devices using Find My, you need Location Services for almost every activity on your iPhone. However, several users have reported issues with Location Services after updating iOS to its latest version. 

In this guide, I will explain a handful of reasons why this issue might occur and provide practical solutions to fix Location Services not working in iOS 17.4.1.

Why are Location Services not working on my iPhone?

Some of the most common reasons for issues with Location Services include:

  • You’ve accidentally turned off Location Services in Settings. 
  • Software bugs or glitches related to your apps or iOS 17.4.1. 
  • You haven’t enabled precise location access for some apps. 
  • Low battery and Low power mode restricting the service. 
  • Incorrect date and time settings on iPhone. 
  • Content and privacy restrictions blocking location access. 

How to fix Location Services not working on iPhone in iOS 17.4.1

1. Ensure that Location Services are enabled

Before you move on to advanced solutions, one of the first things you should do is ensure that the Location Services are enabled on your iPhone.

  1. Go to SettingsPrivacy & Security.
  2. Tap Location Services.
  3. Ensure that the toggle for Location Services is on.

    Tap privacy & security, location services, toggle off location services in settings app

2. Restart the app in question

Often, most issues within apps, including the ones that depend on Location Services to function correctly, can be fixed simply by just closing and reopening the app. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Just open the App Switcher and swipe up on the app in question to close it.

  2. Then, Reopen the app to see if your issues are resolved.

3. Check if the app has Precise Location access

Many third-party apps on your iPhone require your Precise Location data to function correctly. Hence, you must follow the steps below to check if the app in question has access to your Precise location.

  1. Go to SettingsPrivacy & Security.
  2. Tap Location Services.
  3. Select the app which is facing issues.
    For me, it was Find My.
  4. Ensure that the Precise Location is toggled on.

    Make sure Precise Location is enabled on iPhone

4. Check Date and Time settings

Inaccurate Date and Time settings are also known to interfere with the functioning of Location Services. Therefore, it’s good practice to let the iPhone fetch the Date and Time data automatically from Apple servers.

  1. Go to SettingsGeneralDate & Time.
  2. Toggle on Set Automatically.

    Fix Date and Time settings, go to Settings, navigate to General, select Date and Time, turn on the Set Automatically toggle

5. Check Content & Privacy Restrictions

Location services may cease to function if you’ve accidentally disabled them using the Content & Privacy Restrictions feature on your iPhone.

If you’re unsure about how you can re-enable Location Services, you can follow these steps:

  1. Go to SettingsScreen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions.
    If you have disabled the feature, you can safely skip to the next fix.
  2. Enter your Screen Time password if you’ve created one.
  3. Tap Location Services and enable the Location Services toggle.

    Check Content and Privacy Restrictions on iPhone

6. Disable Low Data Mode and Low Power Mode

Even though using Low Data Mode and Low Power Mode can help preserve your iPhone’s battery and cellular data allowance, enabling them can prevent apps from accessing Location Services on your iPhone.  

Therefore, you must disable Low Data and Low Power Mode on your iPhone.

  1. Go to SettingsCellular → Cellular Data Options.
  2. Tap Data Mode and deselect Low Data Mode.

    Deselect Low Data Mode on iPhone
  3. Then, go back to SettingsBattery.
  4. Disable the Low Power Mode toggle.

    Disable the Low Power Mode toggle

7. Reset Location and Privacy settings

In case you still can’t get the Location Services working on your iPhone, your best bet will be to reset the Location and Privacy settings to their default values. Here’s how you can do this:

  1. Go to SettingsGeneralTransfer or Reset iPhone.
  2. Tap Reset → Reset Location and Privacy.

    Reset Location and Privacy settings
  3. Type the iPhone Passcode and follow the on-screen instructions.

8. Check for iOS updates

Software bugs or glitches in iOS 17.4.1 can also render some important features like Location Services unusable.  

If you’re facing a similar issue, it’s good to check if Apple has issued a new iOS update that includes bug fixes to patch such issues.

  1. Go to SettingsGeneralSoftware Update.
  2. Tap Download and install if any update is available.

9. Perform a hard reboot

Performing a hard reboot can fix any software-related issues that may affect the smooth functioning of Location Services. 

Check out our guide to learn how you can hard reboot or force restart your iPhone.

Contact Apple Support

If you’ve tried all the solutions mentioned above and Location services still aren’t working on your iPhone, you should contact Apple Support and see if they can help you fix the issue over a call.

If that doesn’t help, you can schedule a Genius Bar appointment at your nearest Apple Store. There, you can get the issue fixed by Apple-certified professionals or get your iPhone replaced.

Location Services on iPhone restored

Thanks to these easy solutions, you should be able to quickly restore the Location Services on iPhone with iOS 17.4.1 and track devices using Find My, check the weather, or do other things without hitches.  

However, if you have any further queries, please let me know in the comments section.

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By Ayush Staff Writer
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Ayush is a writer with a keen interest in consumer technology and the Apple ecosystem. He has over three years of working experience at several big-name publications, including Guiding Tech, TechPP, and MobiGyaan. Here at iGeeksBlog, he specializes in crafting how-to guides, buying guides, and editorials related to all things Apple.
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