As many others, you can see many if you google it, my HomePod often don’t know where it is. Not only the weather feedback is useless, but also all tasks based on time are not able to process unpredictably. Many search results say the same steps — reset and switch Location Services in the Home app. But I found another possible issue.
In my home, I have many apple stuffs, including iMac, iPad, iPhone, AppleWatch and of course the HomePod mini. Other than HomePod mini, from some day the iMac cannot get the right time zone automatically. I didn’t know the reason but I can just switch it to set the time zone manually instead. Recently, after my HomePod mini upgraded to version 16, I realize maybe the location problem of the HomePod mini is the same as iMac.
Unlike HomePod mini, iMac is located in Find My more than 5000 mi away from where I can touch it. By asking the current time from HomePod mini, I guess the “location” of my HomePod mini is very same. The funny thing is my iPad is listed with iMac too. Yes, they are on the same table, just in front of me, not 5000 mi away.
My iPad is the 12 inch Pro with cellular. I set it with airplane mode on while keeping WiFi connected when at home. Maybe that make it use wifi and bluetooth to determine the location instead the GPS. After I disabled the airplane mode, my iPad flew to my iPhone after 2 minutes. And iMac did one day later, and the HomePod mini too.
I don’t know why the location service is wrong so far when not using GPS, but the funny thing is all other stuffs choose to believe the locating from iPad, ignoring the iPhone on the same table.
One tip is, when you have the same problem about HomePod mini location service, try to switch off the airplane mode on your iPad may help.
