Setting location-based reminders is one of the many great things you can do with the Apple Reminders app. These reminders are triggered based on your presence in an area; or when arriving or leaving a specific reminder location. While that sounds good, some users are not getting notifications for their location-based reminders. If that explained your situation, see the solutions in this article.
The Reminders app pulls location information from Apple Maps. So make sure your addresses are set up correctly in Apple Maps. Also, make sure that ‘Do Not Disturb’ and ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’ are both disabled on your iPhone. Otherwise, you may not receive your reminder notifications – especially if you’re driving or being driven to the reminder location.
Check out other troubleshooting solutions that can help you fix problems with location-based reminders on your iPhone.
1. Configure Location Permissions
The most important prerequisite for using location-based reminders is, as you can imagine, enabling location services for the Reminders app. Go to your iPhone’s Location Services settings and check if the app has permission to get location information.
Stage 1: Launch the iPhone Settings app and select Privacy.
Step 2: Click on Location Services.
Stage 3: Scroll through the list of apps and select Reminders.
Step 4: In the ‘Allow Location Access’ section, make sure ‘While Using the App’ is selected.
Additionally, make sure Precise Location is turned on. This can help improve the accuracy of your location-based reminders.
Step 5: Go back to the Location Services menu (see step 2) and select System Services.
Step 6: Make sure Location-Based Alerts are turned on.
Enabling the ‘Location Based Alerts’ option fixed the issue for some affected iPhone users who were unable to use location based reminders. Follow the instruction above and check if that works the magic for you too.
2. Keep Reminders On
From the location permission settings above, it appears that iOS will only grant Reminders location access while using the app. This can cause location-based reminders to not work when you close the Reminders app.
So, we recommend that you leave the Reminders app open and check if that helps the problem. Set a location-based reminder and leave the app running in the background.
3. Keep Wi-Fi or Cellular Data Enabled
Although location services are the only requirement to use location-based reminders, you must have Wi-Fi or cellular data enabled. As Apple explains, your iPhone can use Wi-Fi or cellular data to determine your location if signals from GPS satellites are blocked by walls, towers, and other obstructions.
If location-based reminders are not working in a certain place, you should check if your iPhone is connected to the internet via cellular data or Wi-Fi.
3. Enable iCloud Sync for Reminders
For the best experience with location-based reminders, make sure the Reminders app is configured to sync data with your iCloud account. This way, you’ll also receive notifications for location-based reminders on other active devices linked to your Apple ID.
Stage 1: Go to Settings and click on your Apple ID account name.
Step 2: Next, select iCloud.
Stage 3: Turn on iCloud access for reminders.
4. Check Date and Time Settings
The accuracy of location-based reminders and other GPS-dependent services also largely depends on the accuracy of your iPhone’s date, time, and time zone settings. You should check if you have configured them to update automatically.
Stage 1: Launch the iPhone Settings app and select General.
Step 2: Select ‘Date & Time’.
Stage 3: Turn on Set Automatically.
5. Reset Location and Privacy Settings
If location-based reminders are still not triggering in designated locations, you need to reset your iPhone’s location settings. But before doing that, try restarting your iPhone and see if it helps. Otherwise, follow the steps below to restore Location and Privacy settings to factory defaults.
Stage 1: Go to Settings and select General.
Step 2: Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Reset.
Stage 3: Next, tap on ‘Reset Location & Privacy’.
Step 4: Enter your iPhone’s passcode and tap Reset Settings at the prompt to continue.
Note: Resetting the ‘Location & Privacy’ settings will remove all previous location access for all apps and services.
Launch reminders and make sure to click ‘Allow While Using App’ when the app asks for permission to use your iPhone’s location. Likewise, make sure the Precise Location option is set to On.
6. Update iOS
Finally, if you are using the latest iOS version installed on your iPhone, you will rarely encounter such issues. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and check if there are any updates available for your iPhone. As long as it’s not a temporary bug, this shouldn’t be an annoying issue.
Animate Location-Based Reminders
Hopefully, you can get location-based reminders working again using these solutions. If the problem persists, reset your iPhone’s settings and try again.
Next: Apple Reminders is a capable app, but still no match for the big ones. Read the post below to see the five best alternatives to Apple Reminders that are worth a try.
