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cstm

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 1, 2012
195
34
Noticed today that my iPhone is showing me in a completely different city over hundred miles away, in a place where I've never even been. What could be wrong? Is it the hardware that's broken or the carrier giving wrong info or a software bug? How does the gps in an iphone work? Location shows the right location when wifi is in use. iPhone 5s with the latest iOS.
 

cstm

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 1, 2012
195
34
Yeah it's on. Tried resetting settings, restarting phone etc. but didn't fix it. It gives an exact location in an another city, if I turn wifi on it finds the right location. But when I turn it off (and rely on cellular), it returns to that same location where it originally was (which is not even close to where I am, or where I've ever been) so my phone really thinks it's there when it relies on cellular. Which is why I am thinking my gps hardware is broken, but I'm not sure it would do this if it was? I would think it just couldn't tell me my location
 
Last edited:

Newtons Apple

Suspended
Mar 12, 2014
22,757
15,254
Jacksonville, Florida
Yeah it's on. Tried resetting settings, restarting phone etc. but didn't fix it. It gives an exact location in an another city, if I turn wifi on it finds the right location. But when I turn it off (and rely on cellular), it returns to that same location where it originally was (which is not even close to where I am, or where I've ever been) so my phone really thinks it's there when it relies on cellular. Which is why I am thinking my gps hardware is broken, but I'm not sure it would do this if it was? I would think it just couldn't tell me my location

I am still thinking that something else is wrong as it works on WiFi but does not on Cellular. Are you outside where there is nothing blocking the sky/satellite?
 

Qbnkelt

macrumors 65816
Oct 15, 2015
1,058
994
Mid-Atlantic
Yeah it's on. Tried resetting settings, restarting phone etc. but didn't fix it. It gives an exact location in an another city, if I turn wifi on it finds the right location. But when I turn it off (and rely on cellular), it returns to that same location where it originally was (which is not even close to where I am, or where I've ever been) so my phone really thinks it's there when it relies on cellular. Which is why I am thinking my gps hardware is broken, but I'm not sure it would do this if it was? I would think it just couldn't tell me my location
Did you somehow drop a pin by accident and it's somehow locked to it?
 

jetsam

macrumors 6502a
Jul 28, 2015
896
659
If you move several miles, so you're using a different cell tower, does it still happen?
 

iPhoneUser2

macrumors newbie
Sep 21, 2017
1
0
Noticed today that my iPhone is showing me in a completely different city over hundred miles away, in a place where I've never even been. What could be wrong? Is it the hardware that's broken or the carrier giving wrong info or a software bug? How does the gps in an iphone work? Location shows the right location when wifi is in use. iPhone 5s with the latest iOS.
I have the very same thing happening. It's always Dallas Texas! I was in Safari and it listed as TX as my location at the bottom of the screen. I have also been shopping online at Bed Bath & Beyond and it said my local store was in Dallas TX as well. Ironically, I was hacked by a psychopath from TX. So who knows if it's a legit glitch or the psychopath is at at it again. ATT headquarters is in Dallas TX; could just be that? Oh by the way; I live 3 states away from TX.
 

dannyTO

macrumors regular
Sep 15, 2014
224
206
Toronto
As long as your wife doesn't use the "Find my iPhone" feature, you won't get accused of anything ;)
 

sdwaltz

macrumors 65816
Apr 29, 2015
1,077
1,718
Indiana
Weird that's happening...sometimes when I'm on wifi it'll show a completely incorrect location much like you're describing, but never when I'm on LTE.

With wifi sometimes it has to do with the server location, or so I'm told. LTE showing an incorrect location is baffling.
 
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