- Before you lose it: the Find My setup checklist
- How to find your iPhone on a map
- Playing a sound when it's somewhere close
- What each Find My action does, online or offline
- Lost Mode: lock it before you do anything drastic
- Erasing your iPhone remotely, and why a thief still can't use it
- How the Find My network finds offline devices
- Finding a family member's lost iPhone
- My verdict on Find My iPhone
- Frequently asked questions
Find My iPhone is the part of Apple's Find My app that shows a missing iPhone on a map, plays a sound on it, locks it with Lost Mode or erases it remotely. It only works if Find My was turned on for that iPhone before it went missing, so the setup you do today is what saves you later.
Here's the catch. Find My can show a device's last known location for up to seven days. Once more than seven days have passed since it last sent its location to Apple through the Find My network, the app shows No location found instead. So don't wait: open Find My the moment you notice the phone's gone, and if the map is empty, turn on Notify When Found so you hear the second it reappears.
Before you lose it: the Find My setup checklist
- Turn on Find My for every iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and pair of AirPods you own. Apple's rule is that you must turn it on before the device is lost, or you can't locate it, mark it as lost or erase it remotely.
- Keep Location Services on in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Apple warns that many important iPhone features stop working without it.
- Turn on Precise Location for the Find My app if you want to see how far away your devices are from you.
- Allow notifications for the Find My app, or Notify When Found can't reach you.
- Turn on Send Last Location, so your iPhone tries to upload its location just before it needs to be charged.
- Turn on two-factor authentication for your Apple Account. Without it, you can't erase a device remotely from the Find My app and have to use iCloud.com instead.
Apple's settings path for Find My location sharing is Settings > your name > Find My. Selling a phone? Here's how to turn off Find My iPhone first.
How to find your iPhone on a map
- Open the Find My app on another Apple device, such as your iPad, your Mac or a family member's iPhone.
- Tap Devices, then tap the name of the missing iPhone.
- If it can be located, it appears on the map at its current or last known location.
- Tap Directions to open its location in the Maps app and get turn-by-turn directions.
- If you see No location found below its name, turn on Notify When Found under Notifications, and you'll get an alert when it's located.
No other Apple device to hand? Sign in at icloud.com/find, Apple's Find Devices on iCloud.com. Two limits: iCloud.com only shows your iPhone's location if it's powered on and has a network connection, and it shows locations for up to 24 hours. AirTag and other Find My network accessories can't be found on iCloud.com at all, only in the Find My app on iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch.
Playing a sound when it's somewhere close
If you think it's down the side of the sofa, play a sound. Tap Devices, tap the iPhone, tap the More button, then tap Play. When the iPhone is online, the sound starts after a short delay, gradually gets louder and plays for about two minutes, and Apple sends a confirmation email to your Apple Account email address. If it's offline, you'll see Sound Pending, and the sound plays the next time it connects to Wi-Fi or a cellular network.
Found it? Press the power button or a volume button to stop the noise.
What each Find My action does, online or offline
| Action | If the iPhone is online | If the iPhone is offline |
|---|---|---|
| See location | Shows its current location on the map | Shows its last known location, for up to seven days |
| Play Sound | Plays after a short delay for about two minutes | Shows Sound Pending until it next connects |
| Mark As Lost | Shows Activated and puts your message on the Lock Screen | Shows Pending until it goes online again |
| Erase | Starts the remote erase | Shows Erase Pending, and you can cancel it before it reconnects |
Lost Mode: lock it before you do anything drastic
Marking the iPhone as lost does more than you'd guess. Lost Mode locks it with its passcode, and if it has no passcode you're asked to create one there and then. Your message and contact details appear on the Lock Screen. The phone stops showing alerts or making noise for messages, notifications and alarms, but it can still receive phone calls and FaceTime calls, so whoever finds it can ring you. On phones that support Apple Pay, payment cards and passes are suspended.
- In Find My, tap Devices, then tap the missing iPhone.
- Tap the More button and scroll down to the Lost iPhone section.
- Tap Lost Mode, then follow the onscreen steps to add a message and how to contact you.
- Tap Activate. You'll see Activated, or Pending if the phone isn't connected to a network yet.
You can change the message later by tapping Pending or Activated. When the phone turns up, enter your passcode on it, or tap Turn Off Mark As Lost in Find My.
Erasing your iPhone remotely, and why a thief still can't use it
Erase is the last resort, and Apple is blunt about it: try everything else first, because erasing can't be undone. Activation Lock stays on, and your Apple Account password is required to reactivate it. If the iPhone had iOS 15 or later, you can still locate it and play a sound on it after the erase.
- In Find My, tap Devices, then select the lost iPhone and tap the More button.
- Scroll down, choose Erase This Device, then tap Continue.
- If you're asked for a phone number or message, add one so it shows on the Lock Screen.
- Enter your Apple Account password, then tap Erase again.
If the phone is offline you'll see Erase Pending, and the erase begins the next time it connects to Wi-Fi or a cellular network. Found it before then? Tap the device, tap Cancel Erase and enter your Apple Account password. From a browser, sign in at icloud.com/find, select the Erase option for your iPhone, then tap Erase to confirm.
How the Find My network finds offline devices
The Find My network is how Apple finds things that aren't online. Apple describes it as a crowdsourced network of over a billion Apple devices that use Bluetooth to detect nearby devices and report their approximate location back to the owner, anonymously and encrypted. Supported AirPods can be located through it for up to 24 hours after they last connected to your device, even when they're not nearby. It's the same network AirTag relies on, which I cover in my AirTag vs Tile comparison.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
One trap worth knowing: if you turned on Stolen Device Protection and use your iPhone to change your Apple Account password while you're somewhere unfamiliar, your devices' locations may not show at icloud.com/find.
Finding a family member's lost iPhone
In a Family Sharing group, Find My lists your devices at the top and your family's below yours, so you can help find theirs. To share your location, go to Settings > Family > Location Sharing and turn it on for each family member. Turn on Automatically Share Location to include anyone who joins later. Comparing it with a family tracker? Here's my take on Find My vs Life360.
My verdict on Find My iPhone
I'd check today that Find My, Send Last Location and two-factor authentication are all on, because none of them help once the phone's already gone. If it goes missing, I'd look at the map first, play a sound if it's close, and mark it as lost straight away, since Lost Mode can be turned off with your passcode and it suspends your cards in the meantime. I'd only erase it if you're sure it's stolen or gone for good, knowing Activation Lock still protects it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I find my iPhone if the battery is dead?
Find My shows its last known location for up to seven days. If you turned on Send Last Location, your iPhone tries to upload its location just before it needs to be charged.
Can I use Find My iPhone from a computer?
Yes. Sign in at icloud.com/find to locate it, play a sound, turn on Lost Mode or erase it. AirTag and other Find My network accessories only show in the Find My app.
Does Lost Mode stop my iPhone receiving calls?
No. It stops alerts and noise for messages, notifications and alarms, but the iPhone can still receive phone calls and FaceTime calls.
Can someone use my iPhone after I erase it remotely?
Activation Lock stays on after a remote erase, and your Apple Account password is required to reactivate the iPhone.
Why does Find My say No location found?
Find My can't show a location once more than seven days have passed since the device last sent its location to Apple. Turn on Notify When Found to get an alert when it's located.
