iOS 26 Bug? How to Fix iPhone Photos Not Showing Location

Part 1. Why Won’t My iPhone Photos Show Location in iOS 26?

Even though iPhone’s Photos Location service is reliable, sometimes pictures just don’t show where they were taken. And this has many users wondering, “Why won't my iPhone photos show location?”

Below are common reasons for iPhone photos not showing location, and how each can cause location info to be missing.

1Location Services for Camera Is Disabled

One of the most common causes is when the Camera app doesn't have permission to access your location. Without this access, your iPhone can't save the place where the photo was taken. This setting can sometimes be changed accidentally or after an update.

2Location Services Is Turned Off Entirely

When Location Services is disabled for the whole device, no apps, including Camera, can store location data. This global setting means that every new picture, regardless of where you take it, will not contain the iPhone Photos Location information.

3Location Data Wasn't Recorded When the Photo Was Taken

In some cases, your iPhone may have been unable to capture the location at the time the photo was taken. This can happen if you were in airplane mode, had no GPS signal, or were inside a building. Without a signal, the location simply isn’t recorded, and there is no way to get coordinates from iPhone photo afterward.

4iCloud Photos Syncing Issues

Photos stored in iCloud might not show location data right away on other Apple devices due to occasional syncing delays or errors, causing metadata to appear incomplete. As such, location details come out incomplete but only temporarily, which makes it seem like the picture was taken without location information.

5Privacy Settings When Sharing

Sharing photos includes location metadata, but iOS allows users to hide it when sending to others. If this setting is applied, recipients will not see the iPhone Photos Location, even though it exists in the original file.

6The Photo Doesn’t Have Location Data

Not all images on your iPhone are taken with the Camera. Screenshots, downloaded images, or pictures received from others usually don’t contain any location data. In these cases, it’s not a technical issue as there’s simply no location attached to begin with, and that’s why you can’t find location from pictures on iPhone devices.

7Metadata Might Have Been Stripped During Editing

If you’ve recently edited a picture and now it’s missing the location, this could be the reason you are not able to get coordinates from iPhone photos anymore. This is because editing a photo with certain software or saving it in different formats sometimes removes important metadata, including location, for privacy purposes.

8Software Bugs or an Outdated iOS version.

At times, issues with iOS itself can stop location data from displaying correctly. If you’ve recently updated your iPhone and noticed iPhone photos are not showing location, it could be the reason. Other times, this issue arises from using an outdated iOS version, which is no longer supported by Apple.

Part 2. How to Fix iPhone Photos Not Showing Location? 9 Ways

Now that we’ve seen potential causes of iPhone photos not showing location in iOS 26, it’s time for the step-by-step solutions.

Whether you want to get location of photo on iPhone, fix syncing problems, or make sure the GPS is working right, the steps below will guide you.

Solution 1: Add Location to an Existing Photo Manually

If a photo is missing location data, you can manually add it:

• Open the Photos app.
• Select the photo.
• Tap the info (i) icon.
• Tap “Add a Location” next to the map.
• Search and choose the correct place.

This is helpful if you're trying to get location from photo iPhone and it wasn’t saved automatically.

Solution 2: Turn on Location Services

If your iPhone isn’t saving location data on Photos, then check your device’s location services.

• Go to Settings
• Privacy & Security
• Location Services and toggle it on.

Solution 3: Grant Camera App Permission to Access Location

Even if Location Services is on, the Camera app needs its own access.

• Open the Settings app
• Scroll down to Privacy & Security
• Navigate to Location Services and make sure it's on.
• Scroll down to Camera.
• Set Camera to “While Using the App”.

This will allow the Camera to tag each photo with GPS data.

Solution 4: Check GPS Signal

Weak GPS = no tag. Your iPhone needs a GPS signal to record location. If you're indoors, underground, or in airplane mode, location may not be saved. Try:

• Stepping outside for a better signal.
• Ensuring Airplane Mode is turned off.
• Waiting a few seconds before taking the photo.

For many users, a weak signal is a common reason why your iPhone photos location is missing.

Solution 5: Ensure Date and Time

Incorrect date or time settings can confuse the GPS and syncing. Fix this by:

• Go to Settings > General > Date & Time.
• Turn on Set Automatically.

Accurate time helps your iPhone log the correct place and time together, which helps improve the reliability of location tagging.

Solution 6: Update iOS to the latest iOS 26 version

Bugs in older builds can hide or mis-handle metadata. To update:

• Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
• If an update is available, tap Download and Install.

Keeping the latest iOS 26 build often restores normal behavior, so you can get location from photo on iPhone without doing anything else.

Solution 7: Re-enable iCloud Photos to Sync Location Data

If you use iCloud, photo metadata syncs with your library. If location data is missing from photos synced via iCloud, try this:

• Go to Settings.
• Scroll all the way down to the Apps section.
• Search for the Photos app.
• Toggle off iCloud Photos, wait a moment, then toggle it back on.

This refreshes your library and can restore metadata, including GPS info. A good tip if you're trying to get coordinates from iPhone photos stored in iCloud.

Solution 8: Reset Location & Privacy Services

If something’s still wrong, resetting location settings might help as corrupted permissions can block tagging.

• Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
• Tap Reset > Reset Location &Privacy.

This won’t delete photos but will reset all app permissions, so you’ll have to re-allow location access afterward. So, open Camera after the reset is complete and allow location again when asked.

Solution 9: Reset All Settings

If all else fails, then resetting all your device’s settings is the only solution. Just like before:

• Go to Settings
• Scroll down to General
• Choose Transfer or Reset iPhone.
• Tap Reset
• But this time, select Reset All Settings.

This restores all the factory defaults for networks, privacy, etc. on your device, but keeps photos and apps. It will definitely clear all the hidden conflicts causing iPhone photos location to fail.

Part 3. How to Change iPhone Location for Free

Many users get into the iPhone photos not showing location issue when they try to hide their photos’ locations from other people and inadvertently mess up their device’s crucial settings. To them, we suggest using PoGoskill.

It is a top-tier GPS spoofer app that can trick your iPhone and alter its GPS coordinates to any location on the map. Even better, PoGoskill lets you simulate your virtual movement naturally using the built-in joystick mode, which will let you show custom locations on your iPhone’s photos.

• 1-Click Teleport: With just a tap, teleport to any location on the world map.
• 4 Simulation Modes: PoGoskill lets you choose from Teleport, Two-Spot, Multi-Spot, and Joystick simulation modes to cater to different user needs.
• iOS Compatibility: Works seamlessly with all iOS versions, including the latest iOS 26.

How To Use PoGoskill to Change Photo Location

Free Download

Secure Download

Free Download

Secure Download

• Step 1Click on the Download button above and install PoGoskill

  

• Step 2Launch the app, connect your iPhone, and choose “General Mode”

  

• Step 3On the map, choose a location to teleport

  

• Step 4Begin taking pictures, and your altered GPS location coordinates will be inserted into those photos’ metadata

Additional Tips: How to Get Location from a Photo on iPhone

How to See Where Photos Were Taken on iPhone?

• Open Photos and choose a picture.
• Swipe up or tap Info (i) to view details.
• If the photo has a location, you’ll see a small map and a place name.
• Tap it to open it in Apple Maps.

How to Get Exact Coordinates from a Photo on iPhone?

• Open Shortcuts > tap +.
• Add Select Photos (enable Select Multiple if you want).
• Add Get Details of Images → choose Location.
• Add Get Details of Locations → choose Latitude and Longitude.
• Add Combine Text → Copy to Clipboard or Show Result.
• Run it, pick your photo(s), and copy the exact coordinates.