iPhone Location Reminders Not Working? How to Fix Them

If a "remind me when I get home" reminder never goes off, the cause is almost always a location setting rather than the Reminders app itself. Location reminders rely on your iPhone noticing when you cross an invisible boundary around a place, and a few settings can quietly stop that from happening.

Work through the checks below in order. Most people find the culprit in the first three.

How location reminders work

When you set a reminder for Arriving or Leaving a place, iOS draws a circle around that spot - often called a geofence. Your iPhone watches for you crossing the edge of that circle in the background, then shows the alert. It doesn't need the Reminders app to be open, but it does need Location Services, a decent position fix and permission to use it.

The same system powers Arrive and Leave automations in the Shortcuts app, so the fixes below apply to both.

1. Check Location Services and Reminders' permission

1. Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services and make sure the main switch is on.
2. Scroll down and tap Reminders. Make sure it isn't set to Never.
3. On the same screen, turn on Precise Location. With only an approximate area, iOS can't tell reliably when you cross a small boundary.

If you use Shortcuts automations, check Shortcuts in the same list too.

2. Turn on Location-Based Alerts

This is the setting most people have never seen:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services.
2. Scroll to the bottom and tap System Services.
3. Turn on Location-Based Alerts.

With it off, iOS won't deliver alerts that are triggered by where you are, even if everything else is set up correctly.

3. Make sure the reminder is set up properly

Open the reminder and tap the i button to see its details:

• Location should be switched on, with Arriving or Leaving selected - not the wrong one.
• If you picked Home or Work, those addresses come from your own contact card. Open Contacts, tap My Card and check the addresses are correct.
• If you searched for a place, check the pin is where you expect. You can drag the circle on the map to make the boundary larger.

A very small circle is easy to miss, especially in a city where GPS can drift. Making it bigger is often the quickest fix.

4. Check notifications for Reminders

The reminder may be triggering but not showing. Go to Settings → Notifications → Reminders and make sure Allow Notifications is on, with Lock Screen and Banners selected. If you use a Focus mode, check that Reminders is allowed through it under Settings → Focus.

5. Give your iPhone a clear chance to notice

• Low Power Mode cuts back background activity, so boundary checks can happen less often. Try with it off.
• Indoors or underground, your iPhone may lean on Wi-Fi and mobile masts instead of GPS, which is less exact. Keep Wi-Fi switched on even if you're not connected - iOS uses nearby networks to improve accuracy.
• Arriving quickly - for example, driving past the edge and parking straight away - can mean the alert arrives a little late.

If your iPhone seems to place you in the wrong spot generally, our guide to fixing an iPhone that shows the wrong location covers the common causes.

6. Shortcuts Arrive and Leave automations

Shortcuts has a few extra things to check:

1. Open Shortcuts → Automation and tap the automation.
2. Check the location and the Arrive or Leave trigger, plus any time range you've set.
3. Choose Run Immediately if you don't want to confirm it each time. With Run After Confirmation, you'll get a notification you need to tap.

7. Restart or reset as a last resort

If nothing works, restart your iPhone. If the problem is still there, Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset Location & Privacy clears all location permissions so apps ask again. You'll need to allow Reminders and Shortcuts again afterwards.

Testing a location reminder without leaving the house

Waiting until you next drive home to see whether a fix worked is slow. Mirrage changes the location your iPhone reports, so you can test the reminder from where you are:

1. In Mirrage, search for a spot a little way outside the reminder's circle and tap Teleport here.
2. Then search for the reminder's place and tap Teleport here again, or start a Journey and Walk or Drive into the area on real roads for a more natural approach.
3. Watch for the alert, then tap Stop - your real location returns instantly.

This is handy for developers too - see how to test location-based apps on a real iPhone. Setup takes about five minutes once with a Mac or Windows PC using the free app on the download page. While a location is simulated, every app on the phone sees it, including Find My, so always switch back when you're done.

FAQ

Why are my location reminders not working on iPhone?

The most common causes are Location Services or Precise Location being off for Reminders, Location-Based Alerts being switched off in System Services, or a Home or Work address on your contact card that's wrong.

Do location reminders need the Reminders app open?

No. Once the reminder is set, iOS watches for you arriving or leaving in the background and shows the alert even if Reminders is closed.

Does Low Power Mode stop location reminders?

It can delay them. Low Power Mode reduces background activity, so your iPhone may notice you crossing the boundary later than usual. Turn it off if alerts keep arriving late.

Why does my Shortcuts arrive automation ask me before running?

It's set to Run After Confirmation. Open Shortcuts, tap Automation, choose the automation and switch it to Run Immediately.