Couldn’t get to use GPS-enabled app on your new iPhone 11 Pro smartphone? If so, then this post may be able to help you. Find out what to do if GPS is not working on your iPhone 11 Pro.
New iPhone models including the recently rolled out iphone 11 series are offering a lot of essential features and one of these is the GPS navigation system. Through this feature, you can use your iPhone to get directions to your destinations. In order to get started, you’ll need to enable location services on your device and grant permission for your GPS-enabled app like Apple Maps or Google Maps, to use your phone’s current location information. Typically, you’ll be asked permission to access your location when using a certain app for the first time. This is when you’ll launch the app for the first time and then you get a message prompt asking for permission to use your location along with a brief explanation about how the app would use your location. If you select Allow from that message prompt, then permission is granted for that app to use your phone’s location information. Otherwise, you’ll have to manually configure that through your phone settings later. Among other requisites for you to use location or GPS services are active connections to cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Once you’ve met all these requirements, your device should be all set for navigational usage. In case you’re having trouble using location services or GPS is not working on your new iPhone 11 Pro, I’ve lined up a few suggested walkthroughs to help you troubleshoot the problem and eliminate common causes. Keep reading for more information.
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Troubleshooting a problem on the Apple iPhone 11 Pro GPS that’s not working
Your device may need to use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections to determine your current location. That said, be sure to keep these features enabled while using GPS on your iPhone 11 Pro. Also care to check the GPS signal. The stronger the signal strength, the better and more accurate GPS data you’ll get. If necessary, try to move on to a new location, preferably an open space to get a better signal.
Finally, don’t forget to test your iPhone’s GPS functions using different GPS-enabled apps such as Maps, Google Maps, Waze, and the like. Doing so will help you determine whether or not the problem is isolated to a certain navigation app.
First solution: Refresh Location services on your iPhone.
Like many other iOS features, GPS and location services may also run into some random issues and that’s when it stops working suddenly. To clear out random GPS errors like this, refreshing location services can help. Here’s how it’s done:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select Privacy.
- Tap Location Services.
- Then toggle the switch to turn location services off for a few seconds.
- While location services are disabled, reboot or soft reset your iPhone.
As soon as your phone is finished restarting, go back to Settings-> Privacy menu, and then toggle the Location Services switch again to turn the feature back on.
ALSO READ: How to fix No service error on iPhone 11 Pro Max, SMS and calls not working
Second solution: Use the Airplane Mode trick to fix your iPhone 11 Pro GPS that’s not working.
Problems affecting wireless features can also be remedied by the so-called Airplane Mode trick. It works by giving a simultaneous restart on your phone’s wireless radios and relevant features. Any associated errors are likewise rectified in the process. Here’s how it’s done:
- Tap Settings from your Home screen.
- Select Airplane Mode.
- Tap the switch to turn Airplane Mode on. Doing so simultaneously disables wireless radios of your iPhone.
- While Airplane mode is turned on, restart/soft reset your iPhone.
- Then head back to Settings-> Airplane Mode menu.
- Toggle the switch to turn Airplane Mode off again.
Wait for your iPhone to re-establish wireless signals then go back to Settings-> Privacy-> Location Services menu to re-enable the feature.
Third solution: Check and manage date and time settings on your iPhone 11 Pro.
To use real-time services like GPS, your device must have correct date and time information. If you haven’t set your device to use automatic date and time, configure your settings and make necessary changes with these steps:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap Date & Time.
- Use automatic date and time settings by selecting the option to Set Automatically.
Doing so will prompt your device to use the date and time information based on the timezone of your current location.
ALSO READ: How to fix an iPhone 11 Pro that won’t send emails via Mail app, email sending failed
Fourth solution: Update your iPhone software to the latest version available.
Installing new firmware updates can also help fix various types of system errors inflicted by some software bugs. If you haven’t set your iPhone to automatically install updates, follow these steps to manually check for available updates:
- From your Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap Software Update.
You will see a notification containing details of the new iOS version available. Read and review this information to have some knowledge on what the new update has to offer. Then follow the onscreen commands to download and install the update when ready.
If you are using a third-party GPS-enabled app to navigate with your iPhone, installing the latest version of the app can also help. This is when you should consider checking on some pending app updates on your iPhone 11 Pro. Here’s how you do it:
- From the Home screen, tap on App Store to open it.
- Tap on Today tab at the bottom.
- Then tap on the user profile icon on the top right corner of the screen.
- You should see the account details.
- Scroll down to the Available Updates section.
- Tap on Update next to the app to update individual apps.
- If multiple app updates are available, then tap on Update All to update all apps simultaneously.
Wait until all apps are finished updating and then reboot your iPhone to apply the recent software changes. Launch your GPS app after your phone reboots and see if the problem is fixed.
Fifth solution: Reset Location & Privacy Settings on your iPhone 11 Pro.
You may have to consider resetting your phone’s location and privacy settings completely at this point. By doing so, you can change your phone’s location and privacy settings back to the way they were configured when you first used your device. Here’s how it’s done:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone, then go to General > Reset menu.
- Tap Reset Location & Privacy.
- Enter your password and confirm your action.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the reset process.
The default location and privacy settings will then be restored. Thus, verify and ensure that location services feature is enabled.
Last resort: Reset network settings on your iPhone 11 Pro.
Resorting to settings reset is usually deemed among the last options when dealing with persistent issues. Since GPS is a network-related feature, performing a reset on the network settings is recommended. This reset will erase all your current network settings including customized networks, saved Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, along with other network information. Any associated errors will also be eliminated in the process. Just be sure to note your Wi-Fi password as you’ll have to enter it again to join and reconnect to your Wi-Fi network. Then follow these steps whenever you’re ready to reset network settings on your iPhone:
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Select General.
- Scroll down and tap on Reset.
- Tap Reset Network Settings from the given options.
- Enter your passcode if prompted to continue.
- Confirm action by tapping on Reset Network Settings again.
Wait for your phone to finish resetting its network settings. When the reset is finished, your device should restart by itself and then loads up the original network values and options. This means the need for you to set up network connections and enable necessary features, particularly location services so you can use them again on your phone.
ALSO READ: How to fix your iPhone 11 Pro Gmail app that’s not working, cannot send/receive emails via Gmail
Is your iPhone 11 Pro GPS still not working?
What you’re dealing with could be a complex system error, which usually requires more advanced solutions like a complete system reset. If you think it’s worth a shot, then you can go ahead and factory reset your iPhone 11 Pro or use iTunes to restore your device. Just don’t forget to back up all your important files from the iPhone storage so you’d still be able to recover them afterwards. You can back up your iPhone data to iTunes or straight to your iCloud account.
Calibrating your iPhone’s compass can also help improve location accuracy in Google Maps and other GPS-enabled applications. If you’d be interested in trying this workaround instead of carrying out a system reset, then simply follow these steps:
- To get started, head over to your iPhone Settings-> Privacy-> Location Services menu and make sure that switch is turned on.
- Select your GPS-enabled app then set the value for your location preference value (Allow Location Access) to Always.
- After making these changes, go back to Settings-> Privacy-> Location Services menu and make sure the switch is turned on/green.
- Scroll down and tap System Services at the bottom of the list.
- Then tap the switch next to Compass Calibration to the ON position. If the switch is already turned on, it means that your phone is all set to calibrate compass automatically.
Follow the rest of the onscreen instructions to complete the calibration process. Then open a GPS-enabled app to test and see if it can now find your current location as it should.
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