Losing your iPhone isn’t much fun. Whether it’s slipped through the cracks on the sofa, or suddenly vanished from your bag, the panic is real. Don’t worry though. Apple have got your back. With their handy ‘Find My iPhone’ feature, you should be able to quickly track down your phone – instead of playing a rubbish, hours-long version of hide and seek with it.
Our guide contains everything you need to know about Find My iPhone. From setting it up, to how it works with Apple’s other gadgets. Let’s get ready to scroll…
What is Find My iPhone?
It’s exactly what it says on the tin. Find My iPhone is a clever feature from Apple that helps you locate your lost or stolen iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods. If it’s set up properly, all of your Apple tech will show up on a map – giving you a precise location of where it currently is (if it’s online and you had location services enabled).
It can even keep tabs on where your friends and family are who share their location with you. Which is great when you want to make sure everyone’s made it home safely after a big night out.
How to set up Find My iPhone on iPhone or iPad
Before you can actually use Find My iPhone, you need to set it up on your apple devices. Here’s how to do it:
Open settings on your iPhone or iPad.
Scroll down and tap on ‘Apple ID’ then hit ‘Find My’.
Toggle on ‘Find My iPhone’.
You might be asked to enable ‘Send Last Location’ – this is useful for finding your phone or tablet even when its battery is nearly completely drained.
How to set up Find My iPhone on Mac
Here’s how to set up Find My iPhone on your Mac:
Click on the Apple menu in the top-left corner.
Open ‘System Preferences’.
Click on ‘Apple ID’.
Select ‘iCloud’ from the sidebar.
Check the box next to ‘Find my Mac’.
Find my iPhone using a web browser
If you don’t have access to another Apple gadget, you can use a web browser to find your lost iPhone.
Here’s how:
Head over to the iCloud website.
Login with your Apple ID.
Click on ‘Find iPhone’.
It’s as straightforward as that.
Find my iPhone: Lost Mode
Lost Mode is a useful feature that lets you remotely lock your device with a passcode and add a custom message on the screen.
Here’s how to use Lost Mode:
Log in to iCloud – Without it, you won’t be able to switch it on. So, make sure you’ve got your Apple ID and password to hand.
Open Find My iPhone – Do this on another Apple device or computer and log in with your Apple ID.
Select your device – If you’re using the Find My app, tap on the ‘Devices’ tab at the bottom of the screen, and pick the lost iPhone from the list. If you’re using the website, click on ‘All Devices’ at the top of the page, and choose your lost iPhone from the list.
Turn on Lost Mode – On the device’s info screen, tap on ‘Lost Mode’ (app) or click on ‘Enable Lost Mode’ (website).
Set a passcode – You’ll be asked to set a passcode that’ll be used to unlock your device whenever someone finds it. Make sure to use a secure passcode.
Add contact info – You can add a phone number and a custom message that will be displayed on the lock screen of your iPhone. This message can be used to give instructions for how to return the phone if it’s found.
Activate Lost Mode – Confirm your action. Lost Mode will now be enabled on your iPhone.
Locate your Apple Devices
Once you’ve got Find My iPhone up and running, you can find your Apple gadgets on a map in the Find My iPhone app or on the iCloud website.
Track a lost or stolen iPhone
To track your lost or stolen iPhone, open the Find My app on another Apple device, or log in (with your Find My iPhone login details) to iCloud. Select your device from the list, and you can track its location in real time. If it’s been stolen though, we wouldn’t recommend going after it yourself – get the police involved as soon as you can.
Find a lost or stolen iPad or Mac
This is exactly the same process for finding your iPhone. Just use the Find My app on any Apple device or go to the iCloud website online.
Find a lost or stolen Apple Watch or AirPods
Find My also helps you to track down your lost Apple Watch or AirPods. Just open up the Find My app and choose the gadget you need to find from the list.
Locate family and friends’ iPhone
You can use the Find My app to locate the gadgets of your family and friends. But they’ll have to have shared their location with you first. It’s perfect for when dad’s left his phone in the car and hasn’t got a clue where it is.
iPhone control features
Find My iPhone has a few other useful features too:
Play a sound - This will make your phone play a loud sound, even if you have it on silent. It’s great for when you can’t remember where you’ve left it at home.
Lock phone – Keep your device secure with a passcode. Just don’t make it the year you were born. Or, even worse, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6!
Erase iPhone – Wipes your device clean of any personal data remotely – which is really important to do if your phone’s fallen into the wrong hands.
Family sharing – Easily find your family’s devices. It’s really good for keeping tabs on your loved ones’ safety.
Sharing location – Quickly share your location with your family or friends. It’ll make hanging out way easier – especially if you’re visiting a new spot!
FAQs
How to disable Find My iPhone
Here’s how to disable the feature:
1. Go to Settings > Apple ID > Find My > Find My iPhone > then toggle it off.
2. You’ll need to enter your password to confirm the change.
Can I find my iPhone from an Android phone?
Unfortunately, no. Find My iPhone is a feature that’s exclusive to Apple.
How to prevent tracking on iPhone
If you want to stop your iPhone from showing where you are, you can disable Location Services for certain apps in the Settings menu.
What to do if your iPhone is stolen
You’ll want to do all of this as soon as possible:
1. Report it to the police.
2. Use Find My iPhone to track its location.
3. Remotely lock or erase the phone.
4. Contact your mobile phone network (Vodafone, EE, O2 etc) and report the theft.
How accurate is Find My iPhone?
Its accuracy really depends on how good your iPhone’s connection to the internet and GPS is. In most cases, it’s pretty reliable.
How to find a lost iPhone without Find my iPhone
If you haven’t set up Find My iPhone, you’re going to have to do things the old-fashioned way. Try and retrace your steps and have a good think about where you might have left your phone. Or, if you reckon you might have left it in the office or another public building (like the library etc), go and have a good rummage in lost and found.
So, now you know how to keep all your Apple gadgets safe and sound. And speaking of Apple, they recently revealed the iPhone 15, plus two brand new versions of the Apple Watch. Epic!
