You’re trying to check in somewhere on Facebook but the location won’t appear in the list?!
Or the check-in button is completely missing from your status update!!
Maybe you search for a restaurant or business and it doesn’t show up, or the check-in option is greyed out and won’t let you tap it. This is so damn annoying… You’re literally standing AT the location but Facebook can’t figure out where the hell you are!! I’m not going to lie, this feature has been broken for YEARS and Facebook just doesn’t care about fixing it.
Why Check-In Breaks On Facebook
Facebook check-in fails for several stupid reasons, and the app won’t tell you which one is screwing up YOUR experience specifically!!
Here’s what blocks check-in from working:
- Location services disabled – Facebook can’t access GPS
- Business not in Facebook database – Location doesn’t exist in system
- Wrong page category – Business page set to wrong type
- GPS signal weak – Indoors or basement with poor signal
- App needs updating – Old version has broken check-in
- Cache corrupted – Temporary data blocking feature
- Business page unverified – Facebook won’t show unverified locations
And let’s fix each one… bet you didn’t know half of these were causing issues.
Enable Location Services First
Can’t check in anywhere?? First thing to verify is location services are actually turned on for Facebook!
On iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Make sure the main toggle is ON. Scroll down to Facebook and tap it.
Select “While Using the App” or “Always” – never leave it on “Never” or you can kiss check-ins goodbye!
On Android: Settings > Apps > Facebook > Permissions > Location. Choose “Allow only while using the app” or “Allow all the time.”
After enabling, restart Facebook app completely. Try checking in now… if it still doesn’t work we’ve got more fixes.
Check Facebook’s official location services help page for more details.
The Location Doesn’t Exist In Facebook
This happens CONSTANTLY – you’re at a new business, pop-up event, or small venue that Facebook doesn’t have in their database yet!!
Here’s how to add a new location:
Open Facebook app and start making a post. Tap the Check In button (looks like a map pin). Search for the location name.When it doesn’t appear, scroll to the BOTTOM of the search results. You’ll see “Add [Location Name]” or “Create New Place” – tap it!!
Fill in the details: exact business name, category (restaurant, park, store, etc.), address if you know it. Facebook uses your current GPS coordinates to pin the location 🙂
Submit it and check in immediately…
The new location becomes available right away for you and everyone else!! You just created a public check-in spot that didn’t exist before, lowkey pretty cool.
Having other Facebook notification problems? That’s another common issue, lowkey…
Business Page Category Wrong
If you OWN a business and customers can’t check in?? This is probably your issue – the page category is set wrong!!
What the fuck Facebook… if your page category isn’t “Local Business” as the PRIMARY category, check-ins won’t work. For real, for real.
To fix: Go to your Facebook business page > Edit Page Info > Categories. Make sure “Local Business” is listed FIRST!! Remove all other categories temporarily.
Save changes and wait 2-14 days for Facebook to update. After check-ins work, you can add back other categories – just keep Local Business as main one!
GPS Signal Too Weak
Are you indoors, in a basement, or surrounded by tall buildings?? Your GPS signal is probably shit…
Facebook’s check-in relies on accurate GPS to show nearby locations. Quick fixes: go outside or near a window, turn on WiFi (helps with location accuracy), check location mode is “High Accuracy” on Android!!
After improving signal, close and reopen Facebook. The check-in list should populate with actual nearby locations now 🙁 hopefully anyway.
Dealing with Facebook video issues? Check out our video troubleshooting guide…
Update Facebook To Latest Version
Outdated Facebook versions have broken check-in functionality – update immediately, I’m not playing!!
On iPhone: App Store > Search Facebook > Tap Update.
On Android: Google Play Store > Search Facebook > Tap Update.
After updating, force close Facebook COMPLETELY and reopen. The check-in feature should work properly now if outdated software was the problem!!
Turn on automatic updates so this dumbass error doesn’t happen again – Settings > App Store > App Updates (iPhone) or Play Store > Settings > Auto-update apps (Android).
Clear Cache And Reinstall
Corrupted cache stops check-in from loading the location list even when everything else works!
Android users: Settings > Apps > Facebook > Storage > Clear Cache. Restart phone, open Facebook, test check-in.
If that doesn’t fix it, tap Clear Data too (you’ll log back in). This wipes corrupted files blocking features, deadass.
iPhone users: Delete Facebook app completely. Restart iPhone. Reinstall from App Store. Log back in and immediately try checking in somewhere!!
Fresh install fixes most check-in issues…
This forces the app to request location permissions properly and clears any glitched settings. And honestly if Facebook thinks I’m reinstalling this bloated app every month… they’re hallucinating 😉
Can’t Check In At Business You Own
This drives business owners INSANE – you created a Facebook page for your business but customers can’t check in and the location doesn’t appear in searches!!
Here’s the bullshit part:
Your business page needs to be VERIFIED by Facebook before check-ins work properly. Also make sure address is correctly entered, map pin shows correct location, and “Show map and check-ins” is enabled in settings!
Page category MUST be “Local Business” as primary. After fixing these, wait up to 2 weeks for check-ins to start working, no cap.
Having issues with your page showing in search? That’s another common problem…
Unofficial Pages Stealing Your Check-Ins
This is a NIGHTMARE scenario – someone created an unofficial page for your business and customers are checking in THERE instead of your real page!!
What the actual fuck Facebook?! This happens when your official page doesn’t have check-ins enabled, so someone creates a location manually and it becomes the default check-in spot.
To fix this mess:
Report the unofficial page to Facebook (Menu > Find Support > Report Page). Claim ownership if it’s your business name/location. Make sure YOUR official page has check-ins working properly!!
Unfortunately Facebook support is absolutely useless with this issue 🙁 It can take MONTHS to get unofficial pages removed, and in the meantime all the likes/follows go to the wrong page, no cap.
Prevention is key… enable check-ins on your official page IMMEDIATELY when you create it, before anyone else can create an unofficial location.
Having trouble with News Feed not updating? That’s another frustrating Facebook bug…
Check-In Button Missing Completely
Sometimes the check-in button just… disappears from the status update screen!! Like where the hell did it go?!
Common causes: Location services turned off, using Facebook Lite (doesn’t support check-ins), desktop/web version (only works on mobile), or restricted account.
To get the button back… use the full Facebook mobile app with location services enabled. The check-in button appears above your post draft, looks like a map pin icon.
Location Shows Wrong City
Check-in button works but shows locations in the WRONG CITY?? This is a GPS accuracy issue, I’m not going to lie it’s super annoying…
Quick fixes: Turn off WiFi temporarily, restart phone to reset GPS, make sure location mode is “High Accuracy” on Android, and go outside for better signal!!
After improving GPS accuracy, close and reopen Facebook. The check-in list should now show ACTUAL nearby locations instead of random places across town 😉
Can’t Tag Friends When Checking In
You can check in fine but can’t tag friends at the same location?? This is a separate permission issue…
Make sure your friends haven’t disabled “Allow friends to tag you at locations” in their privacy settings. If they turned this off, you CANNOT tag them in check-ins even if they’re standing right next to you, highkey annoying for real.
Creating Check-Ins For Events
Trying to check in at a temporary event (concert, festival, pop-up)?? These often don’t exist in Facebook’s database yet!
When creating a new event location… include the date range in the name like “Summer Music Festival Dec 2025” – this helps others find it while it’s relevant, highkey smart move.
Wrapping This Up
Start by making sure location services are enabled for Facebook – without GPS access, check-ins literally cannot work at all!!
If permissions are correct but locations don’t appear, the business might not exist in Facebook’s database yet. You can ADD new locations yourself through the check-in search – just scroll to bottom and tap “Create New Place” 🙂
Business owners struggling with this?? Make sure your page category is “Local Business” as the PRIMARY category. Then wait up to 2 weeks for check-ins to start working… I know the waiting game is bullshit but that’s Facebook for you.
The most frustrating issue is unofficial pages stealing your check-ins. Someone creates a location manually and it becomes the default spot!! Report these pages immediately, deadass.
If this guide helped you finally check in somewhere after fighting with Facebook’s broken-ass location system, share it with other people losing their minds over this same issue!!
