Found My iPhone is an excellent service offered by Apple that allows you to locate the device when it’s lost. You can disable your iPhone and erase the stored data using this built-in feature. Users will even find an approximate location on the map where their iPhone is. 

The accuracy of your iPhone’s location might vary depending on several factors. 

If the iPhone is connected to an unstable Wi-Fi network, it will fail to show the right iPhone location. Thus, if you want to know the exact location of your iPhone, choose a stable Wi-Fi network. 

Moreover, Bluetooth signals, GPS and cellular connection determine the phone location accuracy. If the iPhone has less than 10% charge, Find My iPhone won’t show the right location. 

Besides, this feature might not provide accurate results due to misconfiguration. So, modify the settings to track your iPhone’s location easily.

How does Find My iPhone Feature Predict the iPhone’s Location Accurately?

All the latest models have a preinstalled Find My iPhone app, which is designed to find missing devices. It accurately locates the iPhone by sending its exact position to your iCloud. This iOS application uses GPS, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to show you the correct results. 

If you have the Find My iPhone app, open it, and if it shows a blue dot on the map, that’s the device’s exact location. However, the large green circle shows the approximate iPhone location. You can also find an iPhone even if it’s switched off using the Find My feature. 

Now, let’s see the features the Find My iPhone app uses to detect an iPhone’s location:

  1. GPS

GPS or Global Positioning System is essential for the Find My feature to identify your iPhone location. The GPS accuracy on an iOS device is too good. It can track the device’s location up to 10 metres from its actual position. 

Moreover, the Find My feature will show you the location on the map even if the lost Phone’s Wi-Fi is off. If the GPS can access the internet, it can predict your phone’s location more accurately.

  1. Cell Towers

The Find My feature can locate where your missing iPhone is with cell towers. This useful iOS application can find your iPhone’s exact location by triangulating it using signals from the closest cell site. 

This app works similarly to an emergency call centre that pinpoints the location of a distress call. Besides, the iPhones without Wi-Fi can also be located if the My Find feature uses cell towers.

  1. Wi-Fi

The Find My iPhone app displays the exact location on the map by using the device’s Wi-Fi hotspot. It connects the Wi-Fi hotspot on the iPhones to the closest Wi-Fi network. This method is similar to the cell tower’s triangulation process. 

Moreover, this method even works if the iPhone’s GPS is off. However, Find My iPhone can detect the iPhone’s location only when it’s within 2-4 metres. 

How to Improve the Find My iPhone’s App Accuracy Level?

There are multiple ways by which you can increase the My Find iPhone’s accuracy level. You can locate the iPhone easier in case of an emergency by following these instructions:

  1. Enable the iPhone’s Location Services

Enabling the location services is the best way to improve the My Find iPhone app’s accuracy. It gives the installed apps access to the location service on your iPhone, including the My Find iPhone. Since you never know when you will lose your iPhone, you should keep this feature enabled.

Here are the steps to enable an iPhone’s location services:

  • Unlock the iPhone and go to the search bar to write “Settings”. 
  • Choose the Settings app from the searched results. 

Note: You can also locate the Settings app on the iPhone’s home screen

  • Scroll down to the page and navigate to “Privacy” afterwards.
  • Find “Location Services” and move its toggle from left to right to enable the feature.

Location Services uses your iPhone’s GPS, Bluetooth, and cell tower locations to determine your exact location. If any of these features are disabled, Apple’s navigation service won’t work. 

  1. Improve the iPhone’s GPU Accuracy 

An iPhone’s GPU accuracy depends on several factors. If you have set an incorrect time and date, the GPS on your iPhone won’t work. Thus, ensure to check whether the iPhone has the correct time and date. Access the Settings app, scroll down to the page and select “General”.

Head towards “Date & Time” and enter the correct date and time. Additionally, you can choose the “Set Automatically” option to update the date and time automatically on the iPhone. 

Besides, walls, vehicle roofs or other obstructions can prevent the GPS satellites from working properly. When this occurs, the iPhone uses Wi-Fi or cellular networks to determine your current location. Thus, ensure to always turn on the Wi-Fi or cellular data to get an accurate result.

  1. Update the iPhone’s Software

You must always keep the iPhone software updated because it reduces the chance of a bug causing the location service or Wi-Fi not to function properly. Moreover, installing the latest iOS update will improve the iPhone’s performance and security. 

Ensure to take a backup of the important files using iCloud before the software update. Connect the device to a high-speed Wi-Fi connection. Afterwards, plug your iPhone into a Mfi-certified charger if the battery percentage is low.

Restart the iPhone and open the Settings app. Scroll down to the Settings window and choose “General”. Tap on “Software Update”. If you notice more than one software update option available, choose the latest one. Click “Install Now” and enter the iPhone’s passcode when prompted. 

An iPhone might take 25-30 minutes to complete the iOS installation. Don’t turn off the device until the device installs the latest software update. 

If you receive any alert messages when trying to update the device wirelessly, turn off the VPN. Did you get a “low storage space” message during the installation? Remove the unwanted apps to get compatible software for the iPhone. 

  1. Update the Find My iPhone app

An out-of-date My Find iPhone app can restrict you from tracing the device’s location. Thus, check if there is any update available for the My Find iPhone app. Go to the iPhone’s search bar to write “App Store”. Open the device’s App Store and tap on your profile icon afterwards.

Scroll down to the page to see pending updates of the preinstalled apps. Search for “Find My iPhone” from the app list and tap on “Update”. It will take at least 2-3 minutes to complete the app update. Open the Find My iPhone app and check if it’s working properly after the update.

How to Configure the Find My iPhone App Settings?

It is important to set the My iPhone app correctly to get the accurate device location. Thus, open Settings and tap on your Apple account’s profile name. Scroll down to the page and select “Find My” from the app list. Ensure the “Find My iPhone” toggle is on. Additionally, you must enable the “Find My network” option.

iPhone users can also toggle on the “Send Last Location” feature. It will automatically send the device’s location to Apple when its battery is low. Hence, this feature will make it easier to find the iPhone even if its battery is dead. Enable the Find My iPhone feature and get back the missing device without hurdles.