how to turn on find my iphone

We rely on our smart devices for almost everything, so it's easy to panic if one of them goes missing. Luckily, the Find My app makes it easier than ever to locate a lost iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, whether it's still at the office or slipped down the back of the couch.

If you've never used the Find My app to find a missing device before, follow the steps below to learn everything you need to know.

Open the Find My App

Apple introduced the Find My app as a combination of the Find My iPhone and Find My Friends apps that existed before, which uses iPhone's location services. You can use the Find My app to locate any of your other Apple devices, even choosing to get directions to that location and locking the device until you arrive.

If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is lost or stolen, the first step to take is to sign into the Find My app using another device. You typically have two options for how to do this.

1. Use Another One of Your Apple Devices

If you own more than one Apple device, you can use Find My from the remaining devices to locate the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch that went missing.

The Find My app is available as a stock app on any device running iOS, iPadOS, or macOS. If you can't find it, use the Spotlight search function.

After opening the Find My app, go to the Devices tab to see all the Apple devices linked to your Apple ID account.

2. Use the iCloud Website From Any Device

If you don't have any other Apple devices to use with Find My, you can use a non-Apple device to access the iCloud website instead. It doesn't matter if you use someone else's device for this, so long as you remember to sign out afterward.

All you need to do is open any web browser on any device or computer and use your Apple ID to sign in to icloud.com.

After signing in, click the Find iPhone button to view all your connected Apple devices. This web version of the Find My app offers all the same features you might need to locate your lost or stolen devices.

View Your Device's Last Known Location

Once you open Find My and sign in to your Apple ID account, you should see a map showing the location of all your devices. Any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or set of AirPods connected to your Apple ID appears with its own pin on the map.

The service uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals to find an approximate location for your devices. The location is usually accurate to within a few hundred feet.

However, if your Find My shows your iPhone as offline, the function can only show its last known location---if there is one. Offline devices show up with a black screen in the Find My app. This might happen if your device ran out of battery or if someone turned it off.

Find My is only available if you kept Find My iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch turned on in the settings of your missing device. Apple enables this option by default, but you may have turned it off by signing out of your Apple ID at some point.

Unfortunately, if Find My iPhone is turned off in the settings---meaning your device doesn't even show up as offline---there's no way you can use the Find My app to find it.

Get a Notification When Your Offline Devices Turn Up

If your lost iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is offline, you can tell the Find My app to notify you when it comes online again. This would happen when someone powers on the device or if it connects to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth again.

To set up notifications, select your offline device in the Find My app, scroll down to reveal more options, then enable the Notify When Found option under Notifications.

The Find My app will send you a notification and Apple will email you with your lost or stolen device's location as soon as it comes online.

Get Directions to Your Missing or Lost Device

If your lost iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is online, you can use the Find My app to get directions to its location.

To do so, select your device in Find My and tap the Directions button. Find My will open Apple Maps and load a route from your current location to your lost device.

You shouldn't try to retrieve your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch yourself if you believe it was stolen. Instead, follow the instructions below to enable Lost Mode and call the police to tell them where it is.

Play a Sound to Help Find Your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch

The Find My app only offers a vague location for your lost devices. This might help you narrow it down to work, home, or the supermarket. But you'll still struggle to find your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch if it's tucked beneath a couch cushion or at the bottom of the laundry basket.

Fortunately, you can use Find My to make your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch play a loud sound, making it easier to find when you're nearby.

Select your device in the Find My app and choose to Play Sound. Your device will make a sound, getting gradually louder, until you manage to find the device and turn it off.

Enable Lost Mode If You Can't Find Your Lost Device

It's always a good idea to enable Lost Mode if you can't get your hands on your missing iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch right away.

Lost Mode suspends Apple Pay and locks your device, giving you the option to create a passcode if you didn't already have one. You can also use Lost Mode to display a message on the screen telling whoever finds it that this device belongs to you.

After putting your device in Lost Mode, it's impossible for someone to access any of your data without knowing your passcode.

To enable Lost Mode, select your device in Find My and swipe up to reveal more information. Under the Lost Mode section, tap Activate. Then follow the prompts to create a passcode and write a message for people to see when they find your iPhone.

Lost Mode keeps your data safe, but it doesn't delete any of it. This means you won't lose anything if you recover your device and disable Lost Mode with your passcode.

Only Erase Your Device If You Never Expect to Find It

Find My also gives you the option to remotely erase all the data from your lost iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. However, you should only use this option if you never expect to find your missing device again.

After you use Find My to erase a device, you can't track its location anymore. No one else can use your device because it's locked to your Apple ID with Activation Lock. But you're unlikely to ever find that device again because you can't use Find My to see where it is.

We only suggest you use this option if you've given up on ever getting your device back.

There's More to Do If Your iPhone Is Lost or Stolen

Using the Find My app is the easiest way to locate a lost or stolen iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. But this isn't the only tool at your disposal.

You can also check Google's timeline, ask friends and family members, or try calling the device to listen for the ring. We've looked at everything you need to do to find a lost or stolen iPhone. Using these tips, you should be able to get your missing devices back in no time.

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