I'm dealing with a situation where my family member's iPhone was showing a location that doesn't match where they said they were. The location persisted for hours, showing live status with only slight changes, which made it seem reliable. However, the reported location was about 5-10 km away from where they were supposed to be, and they claimed they didn't go near that area at all. I'm curious if the Find My app can malfunction or display inaccurate information even when it seems like it's working correctly. Has anyone else experienced this issue? I'm looking for some technical insight on whether GPS accuracy can fail, causing the phone to rely on cell or Wi-Fi positioning. Thanks!
3 Answers
In my experience, Find My has been spot-on. It uses cell tower triangulation too, so when the signal is strong, the location can be quite accurate. If it loses the signal, it reverts to the last known location instead of showing 'live'. There's always a chance there could be a glitch though, but people often lie about their whereabouts, especially if they're up to no good.
From a technical perspective, iPhones use built-in GPS, which is generally accurate to about 5-10 meters if the signal is strong. If the GPS signal isn’t great, the location might show a larger area of uncertainty. In my case, I've managed to track someone pretty accurately in a store using it, so usually it’s pretty reliable.
Yeah, but in this instance, the app was showing a small blue circle in a 'wrong' area. It seemed like it was certain about the position. I've read that Find My can switch to other signals when GPS isn't optimal, leading to confusion.
I'd consider the iPhone's location as a hint but not conclusive proof that your family member is being honest. I've experienced GPS being confidently wrong before, placing me in a different town even though I was miles away.
Thanks for sharing that! I’ve been thinking it could switch away from GPS but still show 'live' due to a strong connection. That 'confidently incorrect' scenario has me worried.
I get that. In my case, it was showing live under a small blue circle, which signifies accuracy. Now I'm a bit torn on what to believe.