Location of friend not showing up in solo imessage chat but showing up in group chat and Find my iphone

i just did a bunch of trial and error bc I had the same problem. My dad could see my location in our group family chats and I could see his but neither one of us could see each other’s locations in the message that only included the two of us. He went into his contact info for me and took the number 1 out from before the phone number. That fixed it immediately. I have no idea why this would make a difference but the same contact was being used in both the chats and I own no other devices. Hope this helps someone!

It sounds like there might be a glitch or a setting issue specific to your solo iMessage chat with your friend. Here are a few steps you can try to troubleshoot the problem:

1. Check Privacy Settings: Make sure that both you and your friend have enabled location sharing in your privacy settings. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Share My Location. Ensure that it's toggled on for both of you.
2. Restart iMessage: Sometimes restarting the iMessage app can resolve minor glitches. Close the iMessage app completely (swipe it away from the app switcher) and then reopen it.
3. Restart Devices: Try restarting both your iPhone and your friend's iPhone. This can sometimes resolve connectivity issues and refresh settings.
4. Check iMessage Settings: In the iMessage settings, ensure that you haven't accidentally disabled location sharing for individual conversations. Open the iMessage app, tap on your conversation with your friend, tap on their name at the top, and check if location sharing is enabled.
5. Update iOS: Make sure both you and your friend are using the latest version of iOS. If not, update to the latest version as there might be fixes for bugs and glitches.
6. Reset Location & Privacy Settings: If none of the above steps work, you can try resetting your location and privacy settings. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy. Note that this will reset all location and privacy settings to their default values.

If the issue persists after trying these steps, you may want to contact Apple Support for further assistance, as it could be a more specific issue related to iOS 17 or your devices.

The person you're trying to locate might use multiple devices all linked to the same Apple ID. When their location appears in a group iMessage, it's because they're sharing it from one of those devices within that chat. However, if you're seeking their location from a "Solo" message, chances are you're looking at another device they own.

Sharing your location across multiple devices simultaneously isn't feasible under a single Apple ID. This means that pinpointing their location on multiple devices simultaneously isn't possible when using the same ID.

To confirm this, comparing the phone numbers associated with both the group message and the individual message is a good approach. Typically, these numbers will differ, indicating that the messages are coming from separate devices or accounts. This comparison method helps distinguish between shared locations in group chats and individual messages, providing clarity in understanding their sources and ensuring accurate interpretation of the displayed information.