Life360 must be updated accurately and timely. As a solid family tracking app, Life360 has all the tracking features you could ever need to effortlessly keep tabs on the family and friends in your circle. However, those features are based on real-time tracking data, which means you may experience a delay in their timely updates for various reasons. You may also experience complete failures for various reasons.
There are many different problems that this popular app may encounter, causing it to suddenly stop updating. Fortunately, many of these problems are easy to troubleshoot and fix. Continue reading to learn more about what might be stopping Life360 from updating and what you can do to get it working again.
Life360 not updating: Troubleshoot your phone hardware
There are many reasons why the Life360 app may not update. These issues can range from issues with your device, settings, other apps, or something happening in the Life360 app.
Low battery life
If you’re looking at a user’s location in Life360 and it doesn’t seem to update, it’s possible that the phone simply isn’t turned on or the battery is dead. You might also see the same issue if the device is on but has low battery. Many phones have built-in battery optimization settings that will disable features when the battery starts to run low, including location tracking.
You can keep the battery charged above 20% (the average battery level for optimization) or customize your phone’s battery optimization settings so that location tracking is always on regardless of battery status.
Internet connectivity
If your phone is not connected to a good Wi-Fi network or does not have a good cellular connection, you will see intermittent issue updates from users. Additionally, if the Wi-Fi speed is low enough or it is a public network, the device may not be able to update Life360 in your location. Hotspots and airplane mode will also interfere with Life360’s updateability.
Life360 not updating: Fix your phone software issue
Sometimes Life360 may have difficulty updating due to issues with the phone software. Settings such as disabling or limiting location services can significantly impact the app. Additionally, if your phone is running an outdated software version, the app may suffer from issues.
Location services
In order for Life360 to track users, location services must be “on” for that device. To activate location services for iOS devices:
- Open the “Settings” app on your phone.
- Find “Privacy” and click to open the menu.
- Click “Location Services.”
- Find Life360 in the list of applications and click on it.
- Select “Always.”
To activate location services for Android users:
- Open your “Settings” app and go to “Privacy.”
- Tap “Permissions Manager.”
- Tap “Location.”
- Find the Life360 app and tap on it.
- Change the permission to “Allow all the time.”
This will allow the Life360 app to call on location services at all times and keep it up to date.
Operating software updates
Both iOS and Android software are updated every year. While you can skip a phone update, you’ll probably notice that many of your apps will stop working after a while. This is usually because app developers will no longer support the older version of the phone’s software.
To make sure your iOS software is up to date on your iPhone:
- Plug in your phone and make sure you have a good internet connection. Open your “Settings” app.
- Find the “General” menu and tap it.
- Tap “Software Update.”
- If you see the “Download and install” or “Install” options, your phone has an update available. Click on the option and complete the installation.
- If you don’t get any of these options, your phone is updated.
To make sure your Android system is up to date:
- Make sure you plug in your phone and have a stable internet connection. Open the “Settings” app on your phone.
- Near the bottom, tap “About Phone.”
- Choose “Software Update.”
- If an update is available, your phone will notify you and ask you to install the update. The phone will not ask you to do anything if it is updated.
No matter what phone you have, keeping the system up to date will prevent problems with the Life360 update.
Life360 Not Updating – Troubleshoot Other Apps
Various applications that you may be using on your phone could significantly affect the functionality and ability of Life360 to update periodically. Below are some of the most popular types that can interfere with the Life360 app.
Third Party VPN
VPNs are designed to hide your location and even block Life360 from that data. If the app doesn’t seem to update correctly, check if the user has a VPN. This will need to be disabled to provide accurate tracking information.
Third-party battery saver apps
Third-party battery apps will interfere with Life360’s ability to update locations because they typically work by tricking your phone into activating battery saver mode. This typically “turns off” location services.
Most battery saver apps will allow you to exempt your chosen apps from their functionality. Add “Life360” to this list to keep updates more consistent.
Third-party antivirus applications
Many antivirus apps prevent apps on your phone from running in the background. While this is usually a good thing, Life360 must be able to run in the background. Otherwise, the user must actively use the Life360 app to update a location.
Fortunately, most third-party antivirus apps will allow you to exempt apps you trust; you just need to adjust your settings.
Life360 Not Updating – Fix Your Life360 App Issue
There are also issues within the Life360 app itself that could affect its ability to update. These may include user errors or an older version of the app that needs to be updated.
Two devices connected
Double-check that the user is not signed in to the same account on multiple devices. If you use the same account on multiple devices, Life360 won’t know which one to track accurately. You could try to track both devices or not track anything at all.
If the user needs to have Life360 active on two devices, they will need two separate accounts to be able to track accurately on each device.
Login status
If one of your Circle members does not update, they may be logged out of their account. People can log out of their accounts for many reasons, such as changing the account password. Sometimes the account may have locked them out without them knowing and they simply need to re-enter their password.
Users in your circle
If a user suddenly disappeared, they may have been removed from your circle. If this was done in error, you can send them your Life360 invite code to add them back to your circle. To add a person to your circle:
- Tap “Add Circle Members.”
- Click “Send Code.”
- Select the messaging application you prefer.
This will re-add a previously removed Circle member to your list.
Updated Life360 App
If your Life360 app is not updating or has broken in some other way, make sure you are using the most recent version provided by the company. This will also ensure that you can access any new features available to users.
The easiest way to see if you have the latest app is to head to your phone’s app store and locate Life360 in the store. If you need a new version, the store will usually notify you.
Life360: always-on protection
The Life360 app provides an essential service for friends and family. The last thing you want is to search for a loved one and discover that the app didn’t update their previous location. Staying up to date on Life360 maintenance will only help you and your Circle.
Are you a Life360 user? Have you ever experienced the app not updating? Let us know what you did to fix it or even avoid it in the comments below!
