If your Location Services setting on your Apple iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch seems grayed out and you cannot make changes to it, you may have accidentally set a restriction on it. Check the settings using these steps.
- Open “Settings“.
- Touch “General“.
- Select “Restrictions“.
- Tap “Location Services“.
- Make sure “Allow Changes“ is checked and “Location Services” is set to “On” (green).
Once this is set, go back to the Location Services setting and you should be able to make changes. If none of these steps worked, you may want to go through the process of restoring your iOS device.
MR says
I tried the suggested steps. Did NOT work. I then checked the other restrictions. I had changed other settings that was preventing me from changing the Location Services.
1. Check Settings > General > Background App Refresh. OR
2. Settings > General > Restrictions > Share My Location. OR
3. Settings > General > Restrictions > Adverstising
I had restricted the advertising setting and for some reason that prevented me from turning off the Location Services setting. IDK why that would affect Location Services it makes no sense but that fixed the problem.
Cindi says
Excellent page! Clear and concise directions. THANK YOU!
Vjh says
Oh thank goodness for specific and accurate directions!! Worked perfectly!
bob jennkins says
worked perfectly, works for other apps such as lyft
Brian mullin says
Excellent page , on the button , solved my problem instantly.
Kit says
Hi, sorry tried all these steps, cannot turn location off. Privacy, Location service is on. Then alway changes is on.but cannot select location service button there. have tried turning iPad off and on… Did not fix.
Under general restrictions, location, cannot select any button there either.
Help please
Dhanpal says
great Thanks
Denver says
Worked well.
Thank you.
Ed Carroll says
This worked great thanks a lot
Cyndi says
I’ve done all of the things listed above besides doing a restore on my phone. My phone is brand new I’ve only had it about 10 days.
Heather says
I had this problem. I fixed it by realizing in the restriction section, there are two different places that must be turned on.
Restrictions, Turn on, Location service Allow Chsnges, Then scroll down to “Share my location” and turn that on. Worked instantly for me.
Mkei says
I spent a whole weekend trying to figure out why my iPhone 4S (updated to 9.2.1) says that my phone is sharing its location even when the location services are turned off. I inadvertently locked the stinking restrictions and for the life of me couldn’t figure out how to ungrey the on/off switch for it. So thank you so much for helping me out there! I searched and searched and read and all to no avail until I came across this. So thx loads!
Lissa says
I just want to thank you, Mitch Bartlett, for your excellent suggestions/ iPhone support. I’m not good with computers of any sort and I truly believe that computers (all of them everywhere) know this and take full advantage!! I must be very amusing to “them”, but I am not amused!!
Sorry. I’m sort of screwin around. But seriously, this is great! I will now look to you with all of my computer, mostly stupid iPhone related questions, & maybe one day, with your help, I will gain control over these torturous devices, regain my brain & find that sense of calm which I thought was lost forever! Ah ha ha ha ha!!
But seriously, this was helpful.
Thank you! 👾
Low-Tech Lissa
Jay says
If that doesn’t work in Restrictions a little further down is ‘share location’ click on that and make sure it also says ‘Allow changes’ .
That worked for me.
Michael says
I have relocated and can’t figure out how to change my home address in most of the apps I use. Auto-fill, weather, maps, etc. Is there a central command that will allow me to change my Home address?
Thanks