How to find an iPhone using Latitude

Finding a lost iPhone has become easier.

The Find iPhone function has helped find more than one lost device, and in general there are no complaints about its operation. That's why the debut of the new Find My app in iOS 13 came as a surprise to many. Apple has made it possible to search for iPhones that are not connected to the Internet, and added a number of other improvements. This article will tell you how to use the Find My app in iOS 13.

How does Latitude work on iPhone and what kind of application is it?

iPhone owners have the ability to locate lost Apple devices, as well as track the location of friends and acquaintances. Previously, users received information using the Find My iPhone and Find Friends app.

However, iPhones and other devices with the iOS 13 operating system are designed differently, and new Latitude software has appeared.

Let's look at all its functions in the "Question-Answer" format.

Vyacheslav

For several years he worked in mobile phone stores of two large operators. I understand tariffs well and see all the pitfalls. I love gadgets, especially Android ones.

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Question to the expert

Will the application require internet to run?

No, the developers assure that network access is not required for the software to function optimally. iPhone finds lost devices and locates people with improved geolocation technology

I lost my Apple tablet. If the device is disabled, will I be able to detect it?

Yes, you can track any Apple device even when it is turned off. Gadgets still continue to transmit encrypted data via the improved Bluetooth LE option. Your device will be able to decrypt the location information and you will find your tablet

Do I need to enable some feature so that I can send and receive information from other Apple devices?

No, the application is built into the iPhone firmware, it works automatically without user intervention. The developers claim that a small amount of charging is spent on running the application and transferring data. However, in order to be discovered, you will need to log into the so-called Apple network (synchronization occurs via Bluetooth LE after connection), allow users to detect your device

Option 2: Spotlight

Spotlight is essentially a mixture of a launcher and search. One of its key features is the quick launch of applications. So, to solve the problem stated in the title of the article, swipe your finger down from the top border of the iPhone screen and, depending on the OS version, start typing the name “Find iPhone” or “Locator”. As soon as the corresponding shortcut appears in the results, you can launch it.

Find My app features

The locator is software that replaces applications running on older operating systems.

The main functions are the detection of lost Apple devices (tablets, iPhones, laptops, smart watches) and determination of the location (demonstration on maps) of people. It is worth considering that obtaining location information is possible only with the consent of users. To receive and transmit data you will need to synchronize.

In addition to the main functions, there are also additional ones, they appeared thanks to the Locator built into the system. This way, iPhone users will see that even with the usual addition of a number to the Contacts application, the software contains buttons from the new software. For example, the user will be able to call, send a voice message, or build a route according to the data transmitted by the device.

Using and enabling/disabling the feature

The main purpose of the program in question is to search for devices linked to one Apple ID account, as well as those for which family access is open and configured. We previously talked about how to use it correctly and how to configure it for the most convenient operation in separate articles.

Read more: How to enable Find My iPhone (Locator) on iPhone How to find iPhone if it has been lost How to set up Family Sharing on iPhone

Sometimes various kinds of problems may arise in the operation of the function, leading to one disappointing result - the lost device is not displayed on the map. There may be several reasons for this, and all of them, as well as solution options, were also considered by us earlier.

Read more: What to do if Find My iPhone doesn't find your iPhone

In some cases, you may need to disable Latitude, for example, before selling your iPhone or in order to log into another account on it. A separate instruction will help you do this.

Read more: How to disable Find My iPhone on iPhone

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How to add iPhone to Find My

To add a device to the Find My application database, you need to activate data transfer. You will need to go into the software and follow the simple instructions:

Once in the main menu, the user agrees with the terms of use of the software;
Next, you need to click on the “Settings” command and go to the “Apple ID” section. Click on the “Transfer location” button. Now other users will receive location notifications.

You can configure what information will be transmitted to friends by selecting the “Arrival” and “Departure” commands. By clicking on the item, the user will mark the reason for which notifications will be sent to friends’ iPhones. The user also has the ability to manually change his geolocation data.

Option 4: Siri

An equally simple and fast way to launch the program we are interested in in this article than those discussed above is to contact the assistant preinstalled on the iPhone - Siri. It is enough to call it with a voice command or by holding the button (Home or side, depending on the model), and say “Launch the Latitude application” or “Launch the Find iPhone application” (based on the differences in OS versions indicated above).

How to find an iPhone using Latitude

Having entered the application, the user will see 2 blocks in the main menu: “Users” and “Devices”.

Users

Users are all iPhone owners who have signed an agreement to synchronize and transfer data about their location. This block has 2 sections: family and friends; the user can group his contacts independently.

Devices

Devices include those gadgets that a given user owns. To display them online, you need to activate the function.

As soon as users from the contact list express their agreement to transfer geolocation data, the iPhone owner will be able to see their location on the map. There are 3 functions available for each friend:

View contact (this block contains all the data about the contact, including its location);
Building a route (when you click on this command, the phone will redirect the user to an interactive map, where the distance, time and route itself will be displayed. The geoposition is displayed accurately - right down to the house number);
Setting up notifications (as soon as a friend changes his location, the user will receive a notification about the move. This simplifies the process of finding a contact).

In the “Devices” block, the user will be able to view the geolocation of their gadgets.

You must first enable location sharing and synchronize with your Apple ID. In addition to the exact address, there are also options in this section. They are presented below:

Play sound – when this command is activated, the lost device will emit short trills, notifying the user of the exact location. The function helps you find the gadget you are looking for indoors;
Routes – when you click on this item, the user will be taken to the Maps application. Here you can build a route using 4 methods: the user can drive a car, use a taxi, wait for the desired bus or walk;
Notify me – it is recommended to enable this function, thanks to which the user will receive a notification when the device is moved. If the gadget is found by a stranger, then data about its geoposition will be known;
Mark as lost – when this command is activated, the device is locked to prevent unauthorized people from using it. While the mode is on, the device will search for the lost gadget and notify about a change in its geoposition;
Erase this device is a command that will help protect your data from intruders. It should only be used when the device is stolen or lost forever. In this case, all user information will be deleted when you click the “Erase” button.

In addition to these functions, the user has the ability to remove a device from the list. The operation is performed silently, and no notifications are received upon completion of the action. After you restart your iPhone, all gadgets will be added to the list again.

Below is a video instruction. It details how to find friends and your devices using the Find My app:

Why does the “Location not found” notification appear?

The reasons for the appearance of the “Location not found” status in the popular Latitude application are quite varied, and can be boiled down to the following points:

Your spouse (child, friend, etc.) has the wrong date and time set on their phone;
Your phone or the phone of your spouse (child, friend, etc.) is not connected to a Wi-Fi network or mobile phone line;
The person you are interested in has GPS (location services) disabled on their phone;
The person activated the function to hide his location;
The person is not authorized in the Find My app;
Your spouse's (child's, friend's, etc.) phone is located in a country or region where Apple does not support location tracking.
The phone of your spouse (child, friend, etc.) is discharged or turned off;
There was a problem with your phone or the phone of the person you are following.

Let's look at ways to fix the "Location not found" problem in the Find My app.

How to enable offline search in Find My

The function is available on devices with the iOS 13 operating system and higher. Instructions for searching your devices:

You need to activate the “Find iPhone (iPad)” command. To do this, you need to go to the “Settings” application, then click on the “Apple ID” command, and go to the “Locator” tab;
Here you will need to enable all three commands: “Find iPhone”, “Enable Offline Search” and “Last Location”. The search will be carried out without connecting to the Internet;
It is recommended to go to the “Locator” application itself, the “Devices” block. The user should click on the “Mark as missing” command. In this case, you can send a notification with your phone number so that the person who finds it can return the gadget. The device will be locked, so it will not be able to be used.

Detailed description of the offline search activation algorithm in the video:

Option 3: Application Library

One of the notable innovations of iOS 14 was the “App Library” - a separate screen (far right) on which all components installed on the iPhone are grouped into folders. In one of them (most likely called “Utilities”) you can find the “Locator”.

There is also a search option here, which works similar to Spotlight, but is more narrowly focused.

If desired, the program shortcut can be displayed on one of the screens, for which you just need to hold it with your finger, pull it in the desired direction, and then confirm the addition.

How to disable Find My on iPhone

Some users will not want to share data and history of their movements. In this case, the “Locator” function can be disabled. You will need to go to the Settings application and refuse to transfer data to your Apple ID. In addition, instructions are given to disable gadget tracking:

The user should tap on the basic Settings app. Next, select “Confidentiality”. Then the iPhone owner clicks on the “Location Services” command;
Scroll the list of commands to the “System Services” item. Next, the user clicks on the “Frequently visited places” command, disabling it. The history also needs to be cleared by clicking on a similar command and confirming the operation. Now all movement data will be deleted.

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Correct date and time display

Incorrect date and time values on the monitored device may prevent the Latitude app from working correctly and cause the “Location not found” error. You need to configure your phone to automatically set the date and time from the network. This way, the application will work accurately in most cases.

To set the date and time automatically:

Go to your gadget's settings;
Select “Basic” from the list;
Next, tap on “Date and Time”;
If necessary, activate the “Automatic settings” option by moving the “Automatic” slider to the “On” position.

Setting a label for a friend's location

You can set a label for your friend's current location to identify it (such as "Home" or "Work"). A label will appear under your friend's name when he is in the designated location.

Tap People, then tap the name of the person whose location you want to create a label for.

Tap Change Location Name, then select a label.

To add a new label, tap Add Label, enter a name, then tap Done.

Is it possible to find Airpods in a public place?

Finding an Airpods earphone if lost on the street or in a public place is much more difficult. Even if the lost pods have not yet had time to discharge, hiding within the Bluetooth range, it will not be possible to find them using sound signals due to the noise.

Missing earbuds, if they are not in the case, can be searched through the Locator service. If the device paired with the iPhone is marked with a green or blue indicator, a conditional location will be displayed on the map. There is a small chance of finding the loss if you are lucky that no one finds them before the owner.

If the gadget is stolen or found by a passerby, the pairing with the owner’s iPhone will most likely be reset. The last coordinates known to the service will be displayed on the map.

Providing information about your location

When Share My Location is turned on, you can use the Find My app to share your location with friends, family, and contacts saved on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Location information can also be shared in the Find People app on an Apple Watch with watchOS 6 or later that has GPS, cellular connectivity, and is paired with iPhone.

If you've already set up Family Sharing and use the Share Location feature, your family members will automatically appear in Find My.

You can also share your location in Messages.

Sharing

Open Find My and go to the People tab.
Select "Share Location" or "Start Sharing Location."
Enter the name or phone number of the person you want to share your location with.
Select "Send".
Choose from Share for an hour, Share for the rest of the day, or Share indefinitely.
Click OK.

If you share your location with someone, that person can share the same information.

Name of geolocation

If desired, you can assign names to frequently visited places.

Open Find My and go to the Me tab.
Scroll down and select Change Location Name.
Select Home, Work, School, Gym, or None.

You can also select the Add Custom Label option to provide a name for your location. Just enter a name and click "Done".

Changing the location publishing device

To change the device for sharing your location, open Find My on it. Go to the "Me" tab and select "Use [device] as my location."

Publication of estimated arrival time

Video instruction

Here's what to do if your phone is lost or stolen. If you still have questions about using search software or other aspects of searching for a phone, we recommend watching the topical video.

In iOS 13, the company has combined the Find Friends and Find iPhone apps into one - Find My.

The main innovation is the ability to search for a lost, turned off iPhone without the Internet. The smartphone transmits a signal via a Bluetooth beacon to another Apple gadget that is nearby.

This creates a local encrypted network to search for a lost device. All data about the location of the device will be transmitted through another gadget connected to the Internet. [MacRumors]

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"Me" tab

If you want to start or stop sharing your own location, open Find My and tap the Me at the bottom. Set the “Share location” to the desired position.

This tab allows you to set up receiving friend requests, location updates from any people or only those you select, and also edit the name of the location.

Based on materials from yablyk