Maps and location services.

[Bart Emry]

Location services seems to have stopped working on some apps after iOS 8.1.2 update.

 

[giradman]

Location services seems to have stopped working on some apps after iOS 8.1.2 update.

First, welcome to the forum! Let us know which apps are causing your issues. But second for starters, try the usual sequence quoted below - 'Force Close' the offending apps - if not effective, then go down the list or just do a 'Reset' - let us know the results. Dave
.

When an app (or several) are misbehaving, I usually go through the following steps:

1. Force Close - open the multi-tasking bar (double tap the 'home buttom’) - iOS 7.x/8.x - find the offending app - then press and drag to the top of the screen - return to the home screen & try again.

2. Restart - press & hold the 'Sleep/Awake' (a.k.a. power) button until a red slider appears (may take a few seconds) - move the slider to turn off the iPad; then press & hold the same button until the Apple logo appears - wait for a restart.

3. Reset - press & hold the 'Power' and 'Home' buttons simultaneously until the Apple logo appears - this may take a longer time, so have patience; the iPad will 're-boot' - NOTE that none of these maneuvers will alter your apps, files, or settings.

 

[scifan57]

Location services seems to have stopped working on some apps after iOS 8.1.2 update.

Try going to Settings>General>Restrictions>Location Services and check the list of apps that use location services. If the ones that stopped using location services say never, tap on the word never and turn location services for those apps back on.

 

[Bart Emry]

Yeah, done all that. It used to work fine but suddenly stopped. If I connect to wifi other than home it works fine. I think it has something to do with my type of Internet. I don't have landline based Internet. I use verizon cellular based Internet.

 

[Bart Emry]

Also my notification center some apps work and some don't. Again has to do with weather apps and such needing location services

 

[scifan57]

Yeah, done all that. It used to work fine but suddenly stopped. If I connect to wifi other than home it works fine. I think it has something to do with my type of Internet. I don't have landline based Internet. I use verizon cellular based Internet.

If you're using a cellular iPad, go to Settings>Cellular and scroll down the page to the list of apps that are allowed to use cellular data and make sure that the switch is set to allow maps to use cellular data.

 

[Bart Emry]

There is no cellular in settings on wifi iPad

 

[twerppoet]

Try doing a search for something in the Maps app.

Here is what I'm thinking. The iPad usually pulls up initial results based on where it thinks you are. On a w-fi only iPad it depends on Apple's database of wi-fi locations. If for some reason none of the wi-fi networks in range of your home are not in the database the iPad may have no initial coordinates to use. By doing a search you give it a place to show.

I don't know this is how it works. It's just a guess, and a test that might confirm the issue.

 

[Bart Emry]

Try doing a search for something in the Maps app.

Here is what I'm thinking. The iPad usually pulls up initial results based on where it thinks you are. On a w-fi only iPad it depends on Apple's database of wi-fi locations. If for some reason none of the wi-fi networks in range of your home are not in the database the iPad may have no initial coordinates to use. By doing a search you give it a place to show.

I don't know this is how it works. It's just a guess, and a test that might confirm the issue.

Well it does that as you described. But still can't find my location. Oh well

 

[twerppoet]

iOS devices use one or more of three methods to determine your location: AGPS, cell tower triangulation, and wi-fi triangulation. Apple keeps a database of cell tower and wi-fi network locations to make the second two work.

With a wi-fi only iPad, the only method that works is the last one. If there is no network (including yours) in the database and near enough for the iPad to detect, it doesn't know where it is.

The main source of Apple's location database are cellular iOS devices. These collect anonymous information about networks and locations. No personal data is collected, just a network ID and signal strength at a certain location.

If you or friends happen to have an iPhone or cellular iPad and visit your home then eventually your location should start working. If your network is hidden (does not show up when you look for networks on your device) then it may be necessary to log into the network to get it to show up.

But such things take time. Might be days, weeks, or months. No idea.

The wi-fi location method works fairly well in cities and suburbs. It's far less effective in rural and smaller towns. Even when it does work, accuracy is rarely better than a city block or two.

 

[Bart Emry]

That's the problem. Thank you

 

[twerppoet]

No problem.

I learned something too. It never occurred to me that Maps would come up blank when it had no location information. If I'd thought of it at all I would have thought it would display a continent level map of whatever region the iPad is set to.