Family map not able to locate iPhone 5!!!

[Riamia1]

Please help!  The family map service is giving a message of "not able to locate" one of the numbers on my plan.. . It is an iphone 5 and we were able to locate this number before the phone/software upgrade.  The phone is on and in clear range.  It seems like a glitch with the new iPhone software.  Is there a fix out there? 

Thanks in advance!

[jamileh]

Okay, I will forward it to ATTCustomerCare for you. 

Thanks!

[jamileh]

Hello,

Thank you for your information and sorry to hear about this. We sent you a PM asking for some additional information.

Regards,

Robert G

[DawnRPenque]

There is a notice just before I sign into family map that says Attn: iPhone 5 users. I clicked on that and it states:
You may experience issues with the family map being able to locate Iphone 5. This does not effect your ability. To use FamilyMap app on Iphone 5 to locate other phones (other than iPhone 5) A T &T is working quickly to completely support iPhone 5.

I sure hope so as I do NOT like not being to locate my daughter!

[jamileh]

I am sorry you're having trouble locating your daughter. We are diligently working to resolve this issue. 

[Redjack18]

AT&T has been "diligently" working on this iphone5 issue for 5 months now. What issues they found so far? Someone must know by now why it works on some occasions and not on other occasions. For example does family map work if target iphone5 is in LTE coverage vs 4g coverage vs 3G coverage.? Also where the phone doing the locating is located appears to have effect. What has testing uncovered thus far? I have a hunch it has something to do with these factors from some testing I have done. No answers yet? Really???

[dizzypig44]

When is this expected to be fixed?

[jamileh]

Hey all - please take a look at this post for more info (and great news!) about using FamilyMap with an iPhone5.

http://forums.att.com/t5/Account-Features/AT-amp-T-FamilyMap-and-iPhone-5/td-p/3450091

[cheech328]

I am very disappointed that Family Map does not work with the I-Phone 5. I have had Family Map on all my children's I-Phones since the inception of Family Map in 2010. With each upgrade - up to the 4S the Family Map was there upon activation. Why would you change such a great app (If its not broke -don't fix it)! Parents in this day and age do not want their children to think they do not trust them or want to track them. I merely use it as peace of mind and for safety reasons. For example, making sure they get to school or for teen drivers making sure they get to their destination without having to call them on the phone. When I upgraded my kids to iphone 5 upon release, the family map did not work at all. Unalbe to locate them was like losing an arm! I immediately returned the phones and went back to the 4S. Most parents, like myself, have Family Map on the phones without the knowledge of them being aware of it. If we need to install this "new companion" feature, they would be aware of it and will not do it. Hence, it is worthless to us! When I signed up for family map and told my friends about it, they all signed up for Family Map. We love it. However, no one will upgrade knowing that once they upgrade they will lose this great feature. If the family map works through GPS why does it not work on Iphone 5? I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT INSTEAD OF MAKING THIS APP COMPATIBLE WITH IPHONE 5, you changed how the app works with Iphone 5. This is not a fix - this will be the end of a great App! Please have your technical department go back to the drawing board and have it work automatically withoout downloading "the companion" that would be detectable and deleted!

[dmwolff]

I have complained to ATT customer support that their proposed "solution" of the campanion app is not acceptable and if they think it is then they don't know their customers for familymap very well.  This would have worked if my son was 5 years old (he wouldn't have a cell phone then anyway) but does not work for a teenager.

I find it amazing that if I text my son, ATT can somehow manage to find his phone to deliver the text, but they can't tell me the location of the cell tower that was used? 

Unfortunately, I don't know if other carriers have solved this with the iPhone5 yet.  If they have, I will take the four phones on my cell plan instantly to them. 

I think more people need to complain to ATT because, in their minds, they have the problem solved and their technical department is NOT going back to the drawing board.

[dmwolff]

So is there a way to say that this is not an acceptable solution or to vote a thumbs down?  Please do a little research on your customers for familymap... particullarly parents of teenagers... before you claim that this campanion app is great news!

[bfogelstrom]

My 2 kids have iPhone 5's and I cannot locate them any longer with Family Map.  Thumbs down!

[jamileh]

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@bfogelstrom wrote:

My 2 kids have iPhone 5's and I cannot locate them any longer with Family Map.  Thumbs down!

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Hi, please take a look at and download the Companion app so you can locate the iPhone 5 using FamilyMap. 

http://forums.att.com/t5/Account-Features/AT-amp-T-FamilyMap-and-iPhone-5/td-p/3450091

[jamileh]

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@dmwolff wrote:

So is there a way to say that this is not an acceptable solution or to vote a thumbs down?  Please do a little research on your customers for familymap... particullarly parents of teenagers... before you claim that this campanion app is great news!

---

I'm sorry you're not happy with the Companion App. I've taken your feedback to the team who owns the app. I appreciate your comments about it. 

[locomania]

Jamileh, I think you misunderstood - the problem is not that people are not happy with the Companion App - it is that people are not happy that AT&T requires the Companion App to locate an iPhone5!  Your feedback should be taken to AT&T, not the Companion App developer.   The problem is that it is very simple for someone to remove or disable the app so that they can't be located.

By the way, family locator with iPhone5 works fine on the Sprint network in case anyone needs to have this working and agrees that the Companion App is not an acceptable fix.

Jamileh: we would like to hear any technical explaination as to why Sprint can make family locator work without a Companion App, but AT&T could not.  What's different about the iPhone5 vs. all other phones?  What's different about the Sprint network?

[jamileh]

Thank you for the additional feedback, I appreciate it. 

To clarify, I work for AT&T and the team I provided the feedback for is also within AT&T. 

Unfortuantely, I cannot offer any technical expertise as to why the Companion App is necessary.