Find My Iphone - Useless

**drzeus** · 19th September 2009, 09:44 AM

I have Mobile Me purely for Find My iPhone (FMI). I have been using it for about 4 months now. I noticed that FMI was VERY unreliable with my old iPhone 3G...it seemed 60% of the time it would report that the phone was "offline" and would stay that way unless I toggled the "Enable Push" switch on/off in the iphone settings and that seemed to wake it up.

Now I got a 3GS the same sh#% happens again. We have 2 iphones on the Mobile Me account (3G and the new 3GS) and BOTH appear to FMI to be offline at different times for hours on end. This isn't a temporary problem while the phone is switching networks...it literally stays that way for days unless I toggle Push on/off.

Is anyone else finding it so damn unreliable? What's the point of having the feature to recover a lost phone if it spends 70% of its time unable to even see the iphone online let alone give you a location! :o

**tcn33** · 19th September 2009, 10:26 AM

Just tried mine again and it found my iPhone, down to the specific house, in under sixty seconds. I'm tipping it's more of a carrier issue than FMI.

**MissionMan** · 19th September 2009, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by drzeus

I have Mobile Me purely for Find My iPhone (FMI). I have been using it for about 4 months now. I noticed that FMI was VERY unreliable with my old iPhone 3G...it seemed 60% of the time it would report that the phone was "offline" and would stay that way unless I toggled the "Enable Push" switch on/off in the iphone settings and that seemed to wake it up.

Now I got a 3GS the same sh#% happens again. We have 2 iphones on the Mobile Me account (3G and the new 3GS) and BOTH appear to FMI to be offline at different times for hours on end. This isn't a temporary problem while the phone is switching networks...it literally stays that way for days unless I toggle Push on/off.

Is anyone else finding it so damn unreliable? What's the point of having the feature to recover a lost phone if it spends 70% of its time unable to even see the iphone online let alone give you a location! :o

Are you with Optus?

**drzeus** · 19th September 2009, 05:50 PM

Originally Posted by MissionMan

Are you with Optus?

Both phones are with Three. Both have the latest firmware.

The 3G is particularly problematic. The 3GS seem to be online most of the time but the 3G basically stays offline for days until a manual on/off of "Push" toggle.

So it seems I'm the only one who's FMI regularly doesn't work?

All I can think of is wipe the phone and start again..

**MissionMan** · 19th September 2009, 05:51 PM

It might be a network issue. Have you tried testing another SIM (telstra or optus) in your phone?

**DeKa** · 19th September 2009, 06:31 PM

Mine always works perfectly, and is *very* fast, on the Vodafone network.

**Aladdin** · 20th September 2009, 08:14 AM

Just tried finding my iPhones (currently indoors with no GPS signal) . . .

iPhone 3GS with cellular data connection (Vodafone UK SIM) - found straight away.

iPhone 3G with international roaming turned off (Telstra SIM, currently overseas) - not found. What's surprising is that the iPhone was in 'sleep', and had been registered with local wi-fi network. I woke the iPhone up (slide to unlock), and refreshed MobileMe webpage, and it found the iPhone straight away.

I suspect the iPhone needs to have a current and active data connection to be located.

With wi-fi, I wonder what's the duration before the router disconnects the wi-fi connection? And the iPhone shows as 'offline' on MobileMe?

**DeKa** · 20th September 2009, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by Aladdin

With wi-fi, I wonder what's the duration before the router disconnects the wi-fi connection? And the iPhone shows as 'offline' on MobileMe?

It's the other way around... the iPhone disconnects the wifi as soon as it goes to sleep.

**incanspyder** · 20th September 2009, 10:02 AM

I'm on Optus. FMI takes ages (3 minutes) and locates my phone in the general vicinity - i.e. it will show a big blue circle that covers my house, my neighbours, and the street in front of us. iPhone 3G. What BS.

**grfxninja** · 20th September 2009, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by incanspyder

I'm on Optus. FMI takes ages (3 minutes) and locates my phone in the general vicinity - i.e. it will show a big blue circle that covers my house, my neighbours, and the street in front of us. iPhone 3G. What BS.

there's your problem…

**drzeus** · 20th September 2009, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by Aladdin

Just tried finding my iPhones (currently indoors with no GPS signal) . . .

I suspect the iPhone needs to have a current and active data connection to be located.

With wi-fi, I wonder what's the duration before the router disconnects the wi-fi connection? And the iPhone shows as 'offline' on MobileMe?

Yep I suspect that too Aladin. It seems if you don't use the phone for hours and it goes into deep hibernation, FMI is less likely to work as perhaps the Push data connection is severed to conserve battery.

**Aladdin** · 21st September 2009, 07:22 AM

Originally Posted by drzeus

Yep I suspect that too Aladin. It seems if you don't use the phone for hours and it goes into deep hibernation, FMI is less likely to work as perhaps the Push data connection is severed to conserve battery.

Though I have managed to get a pinpoint location of an iPhone travelling in a car (and thus I presume it is able to get a GPS signal). It was on the front passenger seat, but 'asleep'.

I suspect you may be correct about terminating the Push connection after a period of idle. I have noticed recently (certainly since 3.1 upgrade, but perhaps prior to that also) that whenever I press the Home button in the morning to check the time, the iPhone goes 'bing' to indicate new email - but the email arrived several hours ago.

**ourfoz** · 21st September 2009, 09:37 AM

I have a 3GS on Telstra and wifey has a 3G on 3 on the same Mobileme account. On occasion the 3G will show as offline but refreshing the Mobileme page usually gets it going. I don't have to touch the phone.

The Telstra phone is usually faster to find however if I'm at work it struggles to locate me correctly as I work in a big tin shed and it shows the phone as a few hundred metres down the road.

If our phones are at home then it'll show their location on our house block almost to the centimetre.

**melbmac** · 21st September 2009, 11:05 AM

Has worked like a charm every time I've had a play with it (Telstra).

**drzeus** · 21st September 2009, 02:42 PM

I wonder if it needs a certain number of Push services syncing in order to stay online. On the 3G I only have FMI turned on and have Mail/calendar/contacts Push off on that particular phone (as that's not my personal phone).

It shouldn't make a difference but I wonder whether because these other services aren't on that phone that it finds no need to check with the server and keep the Push connection active.

**eggs** · 21st September 2009, 07:36 PM

I just tried mine (3G) on Virgin in bout 20 seconds (circle round our block of apartments). But the Mrs (3GS) on Optus' it said "Location not available - Your iPhone is not connected to a data network, or does not have Push enabled."

Might have to check her settings, she doesn't know what she's doing with it anyway.

**Beau** · 21st September 2009, 08:29 PM

Originally Posted by DeKa

It's the other way around... the iPhone disconnects the wifi as soon as it goes to sleep.

Incorrect - it's active for two minutes. Then it turns off, but every 15 minutes it'll wake up and check for new data. aka push notifications, email, mobileme, etc.

**DeKa** · 21st September 2009, 11:06 PM

Originally Posted by Beau

Incorrect - it's active for two minutes. Then it turns off, but every 15 minutes it'll wake up and check for new data. aka push notifications, email, mobileme, etc.

Are you sure? 2 minutes maybe.. but our two iPhones appear to do all their email / push data when they are asleep over the 3G network. We have zero internet traffic on our iiNet connection between the time we go to bed and the time we get up (when the phones are also asleep). The Vodafone bills however show constant small data usage between those times.

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