All those iPhone users who use iMessage to communicate between their friends and colleagues must know that along with images and videos they can also share their location if they want to send. However, often people face an issue with iMessage where they aren’t able to send their location and it just says location not available on iMessage. If you are one of them who faces this issue frequently, below we have some troubleshooting methods which might fix the issue.

Many people like to share their location with their friends and family so that people know the exact current location. Using iMessage you can share your live location for an hour, a day or indefinitely.

What Exactly is the Problem?

iMessage provides both options, you can share either your live location or your current location. Usually, the problem comes when people try to share their live location, while sharing the current location users haven’t faced any issue. When trying to share the live location using iMessage, it shows a message “Location not available” to the other users whenever they try to share their live location.

Chances are that it could occur because of permission which is being revoked for iMessage. Well, that’s an easy fix.

Fix Permission issues

To fix the permission issues on your iPhone due to which you aren’t able to share your live location, follow the below tutorial.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and then click on Privacy.
   
3. In the privacy settings, you need to tap on Location Services.
4. Ensure that the toggle for Location services is turned on.
   
5. Also, make sure to scroll down to the list of apps and check if both Find My and messages have location permission. Both the apps should show ‘While using’, if it is showing something else, then you need o change it by tapping on it.
6. Now, go back to settings and then tap on your Apple ID name card located at the top of the settings.
7. Click on the option for “Find My”.
   
8. If location sharing is turned off for “Find My”, then anyone with whom you share your location over iMessage won’t be able to see it, so you need to turn on the toggle of “Share my Location”.

Check That you are Sharing your Location from the Correct Device

If you have fixed all of the permission issues, and you are still not able to share your device’s live location on iMessage, then it could be because of multiple devices being logged into your Apple device with the same Apple ID, and due to which it could confuse your iPhone as to from which device should it send the location. Several users have found it to be the case, majorly those people who have recently shifted from an iPhone to a different iPhone.

You can fix this issue easily by using your iPhone and following the below steps.

1. Head to the settings app of your iPhone and then tap on your Apple ID name card located at the top of the settings.
2. Here you will see the details of your Apple ID and all of the devices that are using your iCloud account. From the list find your previous iPhone and tap on it to open.
3. Then, tap on the Remove from Account option to remove delink that iPhone from your iCloud.
   
4. You can also use your computer to remove a device from your iCloud. Go to iCloud.com from your browser and then log in with your Apple ID.
5. Click on the Account Settings option.
6. You will be able to see all of the devices listed there which are associated with your Apple ID. You can click on the device which you want to remove.
7. Once you click on a device, a dialogue box will appear, and beside the phone, you will see an X sign, you need to tap on it and then tap on Done to remove it from your iCloud.
8. Once you have removed the device, go back to Settings on your iPhone and then open Location Services from Privacy settings.
   
9. Then, turn off the toggle snd turn it on again after waiting for a few seconds.

Once you have done the above-mentioned steps, you can try sending your location on iMessage once again and ask your contacts to check if they can see the live location or not. The location not available message should not appear again and instead of that, the other person should be able to see your live location.

If you are currently using two iPhones, and both of them are logged in with the same Apple ID, then also you can fix the issue.

All you need to do is go to the settings of your primary iPhone and then tap on the Apple account at the top, then tap on “Find My”. Now, inside the Find My settings you will see which device the location is being shared from. Tap the Use this iPhone as My Location option.

Location sharing should immediately update from Not Available to your location. In case it doesn’t then you can reset location services from the privacy settings for this method.

Conclusion

These were some of the best troubleshooting methods through which you can fix your location sharing over the iMessage issue. You are not alone with this issue, many people are facing, and thankfully either of the methods mentioned above should fix the location not available error on iMessage.