Workout Maps Gone in iOS 14? (Explained)

Going on a run but your workout maps are gone from the Activity app on iOS 14?

Running is an incredibly underrated physical activity. The benefits to your cardiovascular system, being able to explore your neighborhood, and having time to meditate are all compelling reasons to take a jog.

For us physically proactive people, seeing our trail on the map is very satisfying. Nothing quite helps us realize how far we’ve jogged than seeing our route on the screen. However, iOS 14 is covered in bugs and glitches.

If you’re reading this article, chances are your workout maps are gone. Well, here’s what we can do to help fix your problem.

Let’s get started.

 

1. Turn On Location Services.

Running around with your Apple Watch and iPhone is pretty useless if your Location services are off. Apple, like a lot of other devices, uses GPS technology that tracks you through the satellite.

GPS technology is pretty much old news, but making sure it’s turned on is an age-old mistake anyone can make. Without it, the maps on your phone will probably display a random location or your home address.

Here’s how you can turn on ‘Location Services’:

  1. First, open up the Settings app on your phone and go to Privacy.

workout maps gone in ios 14 explained

  1. Once you’re there, select Location Services and make sure it’s on.
 

2. Re-Select Your Location.

If this is your first jog after updating to iOS 14, you might be having problems with looking for your location. Apple caringly allowed its users to import their settings and preferences when updating to iOS 14.

Unfortunately, complications can happen during the transition. These complications can cause your settings to reset or even get corrupted. Having your settings back to default will also reset your location. Let’s find your location so we can get you back on the map.

Here’s how you can re-select your location:

  1. Go ahead and open up your Settings app and go to General.

workout maps gone in ios 14 explained

  1. Now, navigate to Language & Region.
  2. Finally, regardless of the option, tap on your region and re-select it back to your location.
 

3. Restart Your Devices.

An age-old but completely valid solution for most devices is simply restarting them. Bugs and glitches are software hangups on your device. Whenever you restart your phone, these hangups are terminated along with everything else.

When your iPhone powers back on, your operating system and Activity App should work like normal. You might see this a lot, but contrary to a lot of misleading articles, force restarting your device isn’t the ‘Holy Grail’ of tech solutions.

workout maps gone in ios 14 explained

Apple added the force restart feature as a way to deliberately cut off the power from your phone and your battery. This way, even if your phone freezes or hangs, it can still be restarted. But when your phone powers back on, your software boots up like normal. Restarting or force restarting your device makes no difference on the software level.

The only difference either method makes is how your phone powers down. Force restarting will cut your power abruptly, which can result in unsaved background processes.

Here’s how you can restart your iPhone:

  1. Start by pressing and holding down the power button. This should be located on the right side of your iPhone.
  2. Once you’ve done that for a couple of seconds, a red slider that says ‘slide to power off’ should appear. Drag this to the right to turn your iPhone off.

workout maps gone in ios 14 explained

  1. Finally, wait for a couple of seconds and press on the power button again to turn it back on.

Furthermore, here’s how you can restart your Apple Watch:

  1. Like the method above, press and hold down the power button.
  2. A couple of options should appear, with a red slider that says ‘power off’.

power off apple watch restart

  1. Lastly, drag this slider to the right to turn off your device. Wait for a couple of seconds and hold down the power button again to turn it back on.
 

4. Re-pair Your Apple Watch.

The watchOS 7 and iOS 14 have been getting their fair share of problems since the release. The connectivity between both devices isn’t exactly flawless either. Unpairing and re-pairing your devices is a great way to reset any connectivity issues.

This is the equivalent of restarting your connection. Unfortunately, you will have to redo the preferences you set.

Here’s how you can unpair your Apple Watch and iPhone:

  1. Make sure both your devices are close to each other before proceeding to the next steps.
  2. Next, take your iPhone and open the Apple Watch app and navigate to the My Watch tab. Tap on your watch at the top of the screen.
  3. Now, a list of all the Apple Watches your phone has paired with before should be displayed. Click on the info button (i) next to the watch you want to unpair.

apple watch unpair info button

  1. Then, tap on Unpair Apple Watch. You might be asked to keep or remove your plan. For the purposes of this method, just keep it.
  2. Tap on Confirm to unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone. You might be asked to enter your Apple ID account, fill this in.
  3. Finally, restart both your devices for good measure.

Next, here’s how you can re-pair your device:

  1. When your device has fully rebooted, open up the Apple Watch app.
  2. Next, tap on Start Pairing.
  3. This should activate your iPhone’s camera. Hold your Apple Watch underneath your phone and position it snuggly into the square viewfinder.

re-pair apple watch viewfinder

  1. Finally, both your devices should be ready to pair. You can go through your settings and revert them back to your preferences.

Now try loading in the Activity App to see if the workout map is working.

 

5. Reset Network Settings.

If there’s nothing wrong with your settings, perhaps your network connectivity is the problem. ‘Network Settings’ are responsible for how your phone connects to cellular and Wi-Fi networks. At the same time, the GPS is also included in this.

Resetting your network settings won’t erase any of your personal data, so don’t worry! Furthermore, this should nuke all connectivity problems that got corrupted during the update. At most, all you’ll have to do is re-enter and re-pair your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections.

Here’s how you can reset your ‘Network Settings’:

  1. Start by opening up your Settings app and go to General.
  2. Now, scroll down and tap on Reset.
  3. Finally, select Reset Network Settings. You might be asked to input your PIN or Passcode, just fill this in and follow the prompts.

reset network settings

Once you’re done with that go ahead and restart your phone. Now check your workout map in the Activity App.

 

6. Update Your iOS.

Apple has heard the cry of its users about iOS 14’s many bugs. As of now, Apple’s latest updates are focused on fixing these issues. Keep an eye out for additional iOS updates that could fix your phone’s problems.

The latest iOS version as of October 4, 2020, is iOS 14.0.1. It might be different depending on the time you read this. Before you update your device, make sure it has at least 40 percent battery remaining and is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network. The update can take as long as five to thirty minutes, depending on the size of the update and speed of your internet.

Here’s how you can check for iOS updates:

  1. First, open up your Settings app and then go to General.
  2. Now, tap on Software Update. If an update is available, there should be a clear indication like the picture attached below.

software update

  1. Finally, tap on Install Now. You should be asked to enter your PIN or Passcode, just fill this in and proceed through the prompts.

If you did have a pending update, you should now be rocking Apple’s latest iOS release. This should be the best way to have your problem fixed if all the above methods failed. However, if the problem persists, you might consider performing a factory reset.

A factory reset will delete all files on your phone, including the operating system. This is extremely useful as a last resort. Furthermore, if you’ve been experiencing other problems on your phone, a factory reset might wipe all of that out. You can read more about it here.

iOS 14.0.1 is the first of many upcoming patch fixes. It might be in your best interest to just wait for 14.0.2 to release.

Meanwhile, if you have any questions or clarifications about the article, feel free to leave a comment down below. Now that you’ve reached the end of this article, we hope that we’ve answered your ‘workout maps gone in iOS 14’ issue.

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • Mako Young

    Mako is a staff writer at Saint. He's been writing about tech for more than a decade. When he isn't reading about the latest news on Apple, he's busy studying cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, cloud computing, and other IT-related sectors. His exceptional work graces technology and Apple-related blogs like How-To Geek, VEED.io, Macgasm, onMac, PhotoWorkout, GameRant, and many more. He also has a Bachelors in Computer Science and has been writing since 2018, with over 400 posts published. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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