iOS 17 users have been running into an issue where the Find My app has stopped working properly on their iPhone. Fortunately, there are several manual fixes for the problem.
Apple’s Find My app lets users track their iPhone, useful if the device happens to go missing, and it also lets users track friends and family members. Lots of iPhone users rely on these functions on a day-to-day basis.
In the months since iOS 17’s release, we’ve seen an uptick in complaints about Find My not working. According to users experiencing the issue, the tracking stops functioning properly and they’re unable to track devices, friends, and family.
We’ve tracked down potential fixes for Find My problems and these will hopefully help people avoid a lengthy conversation with Apple Support.
We’ll start with some basic checks.
Make Sure Find My is Enabled
First, and perhaps foremost, make sure Find My is enabled:
- Go to the Settings app
- Tap [Your Name]
- Tap Find My
Ensure “Find My iPhone” is toggled on.
Sign Into Apple ID
In the Settings app, make sure the correct Apple ID is connected to the iPhone.
Check Permissions
Look for the Find My app in Settings and make sure it’s getting the proper permissions to operate.
- Head into the Settings app
- Tap Privacy & Security
- Tap Location Services
Make sure Find My is set to “While Using the App” or “Ask Next Time Or When I Share.”
Date & Time
Incorrect time settings can disrupt location services so users dealing with Find My problems should ensure the date and time are updating correctly.
- Go to the Settings app
- Tap General
- Tap Date & Time and make sure “Set Automatically” is turned on
After checking those, if Find My still isn’t working, move onto the following fixes.
Restart iPhone
Power the iPhone down normally, wait for a minute, and then power it back on. If that doesn’t work, users may want to try a hard reset.
Update iPhone
This issue appears to be impacting various versions of iOS 17, but some iPhone users have had success when updating to the latest version of iOS.
If a new software update is available, download it. For more about the latest version of iOS 17, check out our guide.
Offload Find My
A few users have also reported success offloading the Find My app. In particular, this appears to help if a user isn’t able to track family members and friends in the app.
Here’s how to try this:
- Go into the Settings app
- Tap General
- Tap iPhone Storage
- Scroll down to Find My
- Tap Offload App (Do not tap Delete App)
- Power off iPhone
- Power it back on
- Go back into iPhone Storage
- Reinstall Find My
Sign Out & In to iCloud
Users should also try signing in and out of their iCloud account.
- Navigate to the Settings app
- Tap [Your Name]
- Tap “Sign Out” at the bottom
Now restart the iPhone. After turning it back on, sign back into iCloud and check Find My.
Reset Network Settings
As a last resort, users can try resetting the iPhone’s settings.
Before doing this, note that it will cause the device to forget known Wi-Fi networks (and Bluetooth connections). Users should make sure those passwords are handy before tapping reset.
Here’s how to reset an iPhone’s settings:
- Go to Settings
- Go to General
- Scroll and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone
- Tap Reset
- Tap Reset All Settings and enter a passcode if one is enabled
If none of the fixes work, contact Apple Support.
