Location-based games gained a considerable amount of popularity with Pokemon Go. Even though it came out a while back, its popularity hasn’t diminished. Moreover, that has a lot to do with its performance, as well as its concept. So usually, you don’t face any trouble enjoying the game. However, many users have complained about an error such as pokemon go failed to detect location while playing the game.
If you’re facing the same issue, there are some simple ways to solve it, and you can implement the methods all by yourself. Therefore, keep reading to know some simple solutions when Pokemon Go failed to detect location in your device.
Why is the Location Important for your Pokemon Go Experience?
You might wonder why the location is so important, in that case, you must know that it has a crucial role in the game. As such, there are good reasons why you must make sure it doesn’t face any issue.
First, the game involves going to a real-life location to catch a Pokemon given on the game’s map. For that, it has to provide you with an accurate location. It can’t do that if it faces issues with detecting your location.
The second fact is that the game should be able to detect your location as well. Without that, it can’t proceed with providing an accurate location for the Pokemon.
Why does Pokemon Go Failed to Detect Location on Your Device and How to Fix it?
From what it seems, there could be various reasons why the game failed to find the location. But there are some simple solutions for them so you need not worry. If you apply each of them, depending on the cause, you should eventually get a long-term solution.
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Error in Location Service
You might want to check out the location service since the issue is closely related to it. Make sure that it’s working properly. Sometimes, it may face errors due to various causes. And, as a result, it can’t provide for the necessary requirements of the game to identify your location. So, how do you fix this problem? It’s quite simple – you need to restart it.
Navigate to the Location Services in your phone’s settings and disable it for a moment. This should remove the errors that showed up in its functioning, which are temporary. After a few moments, enable it back again and run the game. You shouldn’t face any further issues unless there are any other causes as well behind it.
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Permission Denied
Before Pokemon Go can access your location, you’ll have to give it your permission to do so. So, if you don’t allow it to find your location, it won’t. But, to play the game, you need to give it that permission. So, you might want to check whether you have granted that to it. On most devices, you can find the permission options in the App Settings.
Do you find that the location permission isn’t allowed? In that case, choose the option to always keep it on, or enable it only while using the app. If the permission issue was the only cause, this step should provide the most effective and longest-lasting solution.
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Low Accuracy
Pokemon Go provides players with highly accurate locations on their maps. For that, they take the help of your device’s location services. So, you need to provide it with the optimal amount of accuracy that it needs for that purpose.
Now, you can run your device’s location services on various settings as per your requirements. Apart from other aspects, it lets you choose the accuracy as well. In case you’re wondering, you have to set it at ‘High’. If Pokemon Go failed to detect location, low accuracy might be the cause behind it.
So, you need to navigate to the Location settings on your device, find the Mode settings and select High Accuracy. But before that, you need to restart the service once. This is indeed an effective solution for the issue.
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Corrupt Cache And Data
Usually, the cache files and game data are helpful as they store the latest settings in an app. In this case, they hold the progress you made until now on Pokemon Go. But sometimes, they might even cause trouble in playing the game. If you see the error that Pokemon Go failed to detect location, it can be due to corrupt data. Now, there are various ways in which game files can get damaged. But, you would still want a solution for it.
So, what do you do in such a case? From what it seems, getting rid of these files is the best option you have. Which one of them do you remove? Since there are no ways to eliminate the affected file, you need to delete all of them.
To do this, you need to go to the Apps listed in your device’s Settings. Open the one whose cache you want to clear, in this case, Pokemon Go. There, you will find the option to remove cache and data in its Storage option. This method is always effective for solving the issue when corrupted data causes it.
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Updated Google Maps
Are you using a fake location as many players do? In case you don’t know what it is, it just means faking your location. So, if you’re doing this, the latest updates of Google Maps are going to make it impossible for you to carry it on.
How does it affect the location settings? In case you’re wondering, the latest versions run in the background while you play the game. Moreover, you can’t disable it. As a result, you’ll see the “Pokemon Go Failed to detect location” error message.
How do you get through this problem? As you might know, the older versions didn’t run in the background and hence didn’t cause this issue. So, you need to revert your Maps to an older version, and that can effectively fix the issue for the long term. However, this step might not be effective alone and you might need to add some more.
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Get Older Google Play Services Versions
If you’re using a fake location and removed your Maps update, you might still face the issue. In such cases, you need to pay attention to your Google Play Services as well. If you’re using its latest version, you need to get an older one that allows using fake locations. Then, you might not have to face the error message again.
Conclusion…
You must use the above-mentioned fixes if you see the “Pokemon Go failed to detect location” error. At least one of them should provide you with a perfect solution. In case none of them works for you, do consult with the Pokemon Go Support team. As sometimes the problem might be on their end.
