How to Change Weather Location on iPad & iPhone Weather App in iOS 16

* This post is part of iPhone Life's Tip of the Day newsletter. . *

Is your iPad or iPhone weather widget channel showing the wrong location? Unfortunately, many Apple Weather app users often experience this and wonder, “Why can’t I see the weather in my current location?” I’ll teach you how to customize your iPhone Weather app settings and everything else you need to know to fix it!

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Change Your iPad & iPhone Weather App Settings: Location Services

Location Tracking by the native Apple Weather app and the Weather widget can take a toll on your iPhone's battery life. Don't worry, though; a couple of tweaks can improve your iPhone's performance and battery life without sacrificing the convenience of the Weather app and widget. 

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To rescue your battery life from your iPhone's Weather app and Weather widget, you'll need to disable Location Tracking, then pick a default location, a city to permanently display inside the Weather app and widget. 

How to Turn Off Location Services for Weather on iPhone & iPad 

  1. Open the Settings app.

    Open the Settings app.
  2. Select Privacy & Security.

    iPhone Settings app with the Privacy & Security option marked.
  3. Tap Location Services.

    Privacy & Security screen in the Settings app with the Location Services option marked.
  4. Scroll down and tap Weather.

    Location Services in Privacy & Security Settings with the Weather app option marked.
  5. Select Never under Allow Location Access.

    Location Services screen for the Weather app with the Never option marked.

Pro tip: For more Location Services settings tips and tricks, read this article

How to Turn On Location Services for Weather on iPad & iPhone

If you are not concerned with battery life and experience issues with your native Weather app or ​​My Weather channel app not working, you may consider turning your Location Services back on. If you’ve turned your Location Services off, don’t forget to change your weather location by adding the correct city and removing any incorrect cities that may be causing problems. Follow the steps above and select Always or While Using the App or Widgets under step 5, as you prefer.

Location Services screen for the Weather app with While Using the App, While Using the App or Widgets, and Always marked.

Related: iPad Won’t Download Apps? How to Download iPad Apps Correctly

How to Set a Default Location of Weather: Add or Remove Your City

Now that your Location Services are toggled off, we'll select a permanent location to always display inside the Weather app. These steps will allow you to know the weather and temperature at your location without pesky power and performance drains.

How to Add City to Weather App on iPhone & iPad

  1. Tap the Weather app.

    Tap the Weather app.
  2. If a location pops up, select the menu icon in the lower right corner.

    If a location pops up, select the menu icon in the lower right corner.
  3. If all your locations pop up, tap the magnifying glass icon.

    If all your locations pop up, tap the magnifying glass icon.
  4. Type your desired default location in the Search bar. Locate the correct location in the search results and tap that location to continue.

    Type your desired default location in the Search bar.
  5. Tap Add.

    Tap Add.
  6. Your default location will be added to your list of locations at the bottom.

    Your default location will be added to your list of locations at the bottom.

Pro Tip: If you experience your Apple Watch Weather app not updating, you should try restarting your Apple Watch after changing the settings on your phone. If this doesn’t do the trick, you may need to reinstall the Weather app or re-pair your watch and phone.

How to Delete Weather Location on iPhone

The wrong location may be showing up in your Weather app or widget. This may be happening because your Location Services are off, and you have the wrong city selected as your default location. This is how to remove cities from Weather App:

  1. Open the Weather app.

    Tap the Weather app.
  2. Tap the menu icon on the bottom right.

    If a location pops up, select the menu icon in the lower right corner.
  3. Locate the city you wish to delete and swipe left over it.

    Locate the city you wish to delete and swipe left over it.
  4. Tap the trash icon to delete it.

    Tap the trash icon to delete it.

How to Change the Default Location in the Weather Widget

Your weather location might not change automatically if you have a Weather widget, but it's easy to set a default location.  Here we'll show you how, and for more great ideas about how to use widgets, check out our free Tip of the Day.

  1. To change the default location in the Weather widget, long press the Weather widget.

    Home screen with a marked Weather widget.
  2. Tap Edit Widget in the menu that pops up.

    Long press menu for a widget on the Home screen.
  3. Tap the location that's highlighted in blue.

    Tap the location that's highlighted in blue.
  4. Enter the default location you want in the Search bar, or tap it in the list that appears as you begin typing.

    Enter the default location you want in the Search bar, or tap it in the list that appears as you begin typing.
  5. Your chosen default location will now be displayed next to Location and in your Weather widget.

    Your chosen default location will now be displayed next to Location and in your Weather widget.

Pro Tip: Are you wondering where your Weather app widget is? If you don't have it on your Home screen or in the Today View, or if it suddenly disappeared, you can follow these steps to re-add this useful widget.

Now you know how to set a default location in your iPad or iPhone Weather app and Weather widget!

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Author Details

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Author Details

Conner Carey

Conner Carey's writing can be found at conpoet.com. She is currently writing a book, creating lots of content, and writing poetry via @conpoet on Instagram. She lives in an RV full-time with her mom, Jan and dog, Jodi as they slow-travel around the country.