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Chinese text when sharing location

j-a-x

j-a-x

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 15, 2005
1,567
285
Houston, Texas
When I use the location sharing feature in Messages (in both iOS 11 and iOS 12) lately, it shows my location with some chinese text saying my location is some sort of spa (my girlfriend translated from Mandarin for me). I get the same text when friends share their location with my via iMessage. It's always this string of Chinese text in the thumbnail of the Apple Maps location with some chinese text regardless of where they are.

Attached is an example of what this looks like. This is a message thumbnail from my iMessage transcript when my friend shared his location yesterday. He was not at a Chinese spa.

Has anybody else seen this issue?
 

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j-a-x said:
When I use the location sharing feature in Messages (in both iOS 11 and iOS 12) lately, it shows my location with some chinese text saying my location is some sort of spa (my girlfriend translated from Mandarin for me). I get the same text when friends share their location with my via iMessage. It's always this string of Chinese text in the thumbnail of the Apple Maps location with some chinese text regardless of where they are.

Attached is an example of what this looks like. This is a message thumbnail from my iMessage transcript when my friend shared his location yesterday. He was not at a Chinese spa.

Has anybody else seen this issue?
Click to expand...

Here is another example when I share my location to her it shows a Chinese spa again, this time in a different part of town.

IMG_0750.JPG
 
I think it’s a bug.

My girlfriend shared her location with me today and it showed a designer jeans store in Hong Kong but the “name” of the location was her actual location in Houston.

d23ccbbdee4f1f07e1e0a76e9d76eaa0.png
 
NoBoMac said:
iCloud/Apple-ID might be hacked? Saw some headlines this morning that the hacking of iCloud accounts is still going on. Thieves get credentials (phishing, using same password on Apple as some other site that's been hacked) and then enable Family Sharing.

https://www.techradar.com/news/the-...ilies-share-apps-is-being-used-to-scam-people
Click to expand...

Definitely not. I have two factor authentication and on Apple support forums many people have the same Chinese characters show up. It’s a bug of some sort.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/33571120

Besides my actual location is correct on the map, it’s just the thumbnail in message that’s erroneous.
 
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This same thing is happening to my boyfriend when he shares his location with me ! At first I thought maybe he had downloaded some fake location sharing app that allows you to alter the location ? I’ve read about these before? Is this a possibility? He said he hasn’t done anything different - and I totally trust him so it’s very odd. There’s also virtually nothing else aside from a few threads about it online... following to see what’s up! Thanks everyone.



j-a-x said:
When I use the location sharing feature in Messages (in both iOS 11 and iOS 12) lately, it shows my location with some chinese text saying my location is some sort of spa (my girlfriend translated from Mandarin for me). I get the same text when friends share their location with my via iMessage. It's always this string of Chinese text in the thumbnail of the Apple Maps location with some chinese text regardless of where they are.

Attached is an example of what this looks like. This is a message thumbnail from my iMessage transcript when my friend shared his location yesterday. He was not at a Chinese spa.

Has anybody else seen this issue?
Click to expand...
 
lauren_2202 said:
This same thing is happening to my boyfriend when he shares his location with me ! At first I thought maybe he had downloaded some fake location sharing app that allows you to alter the location ? I’ve read about these before? Is this a possibility? He said he hasn’t done anything different - and I totally trust him so it’s very odd. There’s also virtually nothing else aside from a few threads about it online... following to see what’s up! Thanks everyone.
Click to expand...

No news or solution yet. I will definitely post if I learn anything. I don't think it is possible for any app to modify the location being sent via Location Services as it's an OS level function so I think this is a bug rather than malicious software.
 
I experience the same thing, although randomly and with more or less correct Mandarin. I rarely use Share My Location, so it's not a real problem for me, just a reminder that Apple isn't perfect either.

EDIT: iPhone 7 running 10.3.3 so it isn't limited to your version of the OS.
 
T Coma said:
I experience the same thing, although randomly and with more or less correct Mandarin. I rarely use Share My Location, so it's not a real problem for me, just a reminder that Apple isn't perfect either.

EDIT: iPhone 7 running 10.3.3 so it isn't limited to your version of the OS.
Click to expand...

I'd be curious if this is occurring on the iOS 12 betas?
 
824E3353-C4B2-400D-A04F-9F598C2399E6.jpeg
j-a-x said:
When I use the location sharing feature in Messages (in both iOS 11 and iOS 12) lately, it shows my location with some chinese text saying my location is some sort of spa (my girlfriend translated from Mandarin for me). I get the same text when friends share their location with my via iMessage. It's always this string of Chinese text in the thumbnail of the Apple Maps location with some chinese text regardless of where they are.

Attached is an example of what this looks like. This is a message thumbnail from my iMessage transcript when my friend shared his location yesterday. He was not at a Chinese spa.

Has anybody else seen this issue?
Click to expand...


I am still having this today when my husband shared his location. Any answers?
 
EA569807-FD92-4DD9-B698-25E68CBAB4DC.jpeg
j-a-x said:
None. It also happens in iOS 12. I filed bug reports with Apple but no response.
Click to expand...

I actually called Apple Support and she had me and my husband turn off the automatic time zone update and then turn it back on again, and now it’s coming in correctly.
 
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