Find My iPhone: A Lifesaver for Lost or Stolen Devices – Here's How to Set It Up

This article explains how to set up Find My (or its predecessor Find My iPhone) on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch using iOS (or iPadOS) 13 or newer.

Turn on Find My 

The option to set up Find My is part of the initial iPhone setup process. You may have enabled it then. If you didn't, follow these steps to turn it on.

1. Go to Settings.

2. Tap your name.

3. Tap Find My.

   In earlier versions of iOS, tap iCloud > Find My Phone to turn on the feature.

4. If you want to let friends and family members know where you are, turn on Share My Location on the Find My screen.

   This optional setting is not required to locate your phone.

5. Tap Find My iPhone at the top of the screen.

6. Turn on the Find My iPhone toggle switch.

7. Turn on the Find My network switch to see your phone even when it's offline.

   Find My network is an encrypted and anonymous network of Apple devices that help locate your device. Like location sharing, this setting is optional and not required for locating the device.

8. Turn on Send Last Location to have the phone send its location to Apple when the battery is low. This setting is also optional.

   You must have Location Services turned on to locate your phone's location on a map. To check that it is on, go to Settings > Privacy & Security.

Depending on the version of iOS, you may see a message verifying that you understand that this tool turns on GPS tracking of your iPhone. The GPS tracking is for you to use, not for someone else to track your movements. Tap Allow.

How to Use Find My

When your iPhone goes missing, either because it was misplaced or stolen, use Find My with iCloud to locate it.

1. Open a web browser, go to iCloud.com/find, and log in with your Apple ID/Apple Account.

2. Select Devices > your iPhone. You may be asked to provide your password again.

   All iOS devices support Find My, along with Mac computers and the Apple Watch. AirPods can be located if they are paired with and near an iOS device.

3. Choose one of these options:

   • Play Sound: If you suspect your iPhone is nearby, select Play Sound and follow the sound to the iPhone.
   • Lost Mode: Select Lost to turn on Lost Mode, which locks and tracks your iPhone.
   • Erase This Device: This option remotely erases your personal information on the iPhone.

   iCloud locates your iPhone and other devices that you set up with Find My and displays these devices on a map. A green dot beside the device or green outline indicates the device is online. A gray dot or lack of location details means it's offline.

Turn Off Find My on Your iPhone

To turn off Find My iPhone, tap Settings > your name > Find My > Find My iPhone and turn off Find My iPhone.

In some earlier versions of Find My iPhone, you may need to enter the password for the iCloud account used on the device.

This feature, called Activation Lock, prevents thieves from turning off Find My iPhone to hide the device from the service.

What Is Find My?

Find My is a tool that finds lost or stolen iPhones. It uses the built-in GPS or location services of the device to locate it on a map.

It also locks a device or deletes all data from a device over the internet to prevent a thief from accessing your data.

If you lose your device, you can use Find My to make the device play a sound if you suspect it's nearby. Or, you can view its location on a map to help recover it.