A Texas man claims he has fallen victim to an iPhone glitch that has sent 12 irate strangers knocking on his door, demanding he hands over their missing devices.
He believes the issue stems from a malfunction in ‘Find My,’ which locates Apple devices using a combination of cellular, Wi-Fi and GPS – but the feature is known to display the incorrect location.
The app comes pre-downloaded on iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs and is also available to search for missing AirTags and AirPods.
Countless reports are circling the web of people seeing the wrong location for their devices, even as far as 10 miles away, but there are no known complaints of more than one item linking to a spot.
DailyMail.com has contacted Apple for comment and has yet to receive a response.
Your device’s location could be incorrect for several reasons, including cell tower triangulation, landscape and building materials that could place your iPhone 10 miles out of range.
DailyMail.com has compiled a list of fixes below so you do not fall victim to the same glitch.
Scott Schuster claims he has fallen victim to an iPhone glitch that has sent 12 irate strangers knocking on his door, demanding he hands over their missing devices
Scott Schuster, a resident of Richmond, said people began arriving on his doorstep immediately, day and night, asking for their missing phones and air pods back.
‘I have to wake up and go answer the door and tell people I don’t have their device,’ he told ABC 13.
‘And people don’t tend to believe you.’
Schuster, a software engineer, said he had reported the problem to Apple multiple times.
He says at least 12 have turned up on his door, and he fears for the safety of his children, aged seven and nine.
It is unclear how at least a dozen people’s devices are linked to the same spot, but users have reported their devices showing the wrong location. But not at this scale.
What is ‘Find My’
Apple launched the feature, formally known as ‘Find My iPhone,’ in 2010 with the iOS 3 software for paying MobileMe users. It was made free with iOS 4.2.
He claims the glitch stems from a malfunction in Apple’s Find My app, which sent people looking for devices at the wrong location
Find My includes a Lost Mode that locks your device with a passcode and can display a custom message and contact phone number on the Lock Screen.
While in Lost Mode, your device can track where it has been and report back so you can view its recent location history right from the Find My iPhone app.
And the app displays a map, allowing you to find your lost device.
The Find My network and app is a crowdsourced network that uses millions of Bluetooth devices to track down a specific item.
Apple claims the process is end-to-end encrypted and anonymous.
How to use the Find My app to locate your device
First, open the app on an Apple device – likely a friend’s or family’s since your device is missing.
Click on the ‘Devices’ tab at the bottom of your screen and search for your device within the list.
Once you have found the device you want to locate, tap on it, and you can select more options to help find it.
These include: Play Sounds, Get Directions, Notify When Found, Mark as Lost or Erase This Device.
The app comes pre-downloaded on iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs and is also available to search for missing AirTags and AirPods
Countless reports are circling the web of people seeing the wrong location for their devices, even as far as 10 miles away, but there are no known complaints of more than one item linking to a spot. The issue could be you do not have Location Services activated
Why the Find My app showing the wrong location
There are several reasons why the app could be showing you at the wrong spot, but there are easy ways to correct the issue.
It could be you have the wrong location service setting, need updates, have a poor internet connection or have obstacles blocking connection to cell towers.
If your device’s location service settings are not correct, location-based apps will not pick up the right GPS information,
All you need to do is go to Settings and then Privacy, where you can toggle on Location Service.
Another reason a location is not correct is that your device needs to be updated
Also, make sure your device has the correct date and time zone setup
Check whether the Wi-Fi network is working correctly or if you have enough data to establish a stable internet connection. If not, try changing the data settings to stabilize your internet connection
A similar issue occurs if your device needs to be updated to the recent iOS system.
And a strong, stable internet connection is crucial to obtain the correct GPS details.
If your internet connection is down or unavailable, you need to boost it.
Check whether the Wi-Fi network is working correctly or if you have enough data to establish a stable internet connection.
If not, try changing the data settings to stabilize your internet connection.
How to fix wrong locations
Restarting the app is the first fix you want to try, which can be done by closing it and opening it.
Next, check your location service settings and give the Find My app access to track your location while using the app or always.
Also, make sure your device has the correct date and time zone setup.
Resetting your Location & Privacy settings will restore your iPhone to the previous settings, eliminating problems regarding incorrect location.
And if all else fails, restart your device.
