How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (2024)

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| How-To

How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (2)

While every iPhone comes with the iCloud Find My app, users often neglect setting it up on their devices. Some don’t understand the feature, while others feel it’s unnecessary. Speaking from experience, you’ll regret not having Find My during emergencies—you never know when you’ll need it. Here’s how to enable it on all your Apple devices.

How to Activate Find My on Your iCloud Devices

Find My is Apple’s device-tracking service. The company introduced it as Find My iPhone in 2009 but rebranded it to Find My once it started supporting other gadgets. You can use it on iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, Macs, AirPods, and AirTags.

How to Set Up Find My on Your iOS or iPadOS

  1. Open Settings > [your Apple ID profile] > Find My > Find My iPhone/iPad.
    How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (3)
  2. Toggle on the buttons for Find My iPhone/iPad.
    How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (4)
  3. Next, go back to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Find My and set Allow Location Access to While Using the App.
    How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (5)

How to Set Up Find My on Your macOS

  1. Click the Apple Menu > System Settings > [your Apple ID profile] > iCloud.
    How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (6)
  2. Select Find My Mac > Turn On and enter your administrator profile’s login credentials. If you don’t see Find My Mac, look for it in Show More Apps… under Apps using iCloud.
    How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (7)

How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (8)NOTE

You can only use Find My on Apple devices logged in to the same iCloud account. To track third parties and their devices, they must actively share their location with you.

How to Add Devices to Find My Manually

  1. Open Find My on your iPhone or iPad > Devices and tap the plus symbol (+) on the right side of the screen.
    How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (9)
  2. Select Add AirTag, Add MagSafe Accessory, or Add Other Item.
    How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (10)
  3. Wait for Find My to find your gadget—make sure it’s nearby—and add it to the Devices list.
    How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (11)
  4. You can also remove paired items. Go to Devices, tap the device you need to remove, then select Remove This Device.
    How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (12)

How Do I Track My Lost iPhone, iPad, or Mac?

Find My shows your registered devices on a map. Your iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirTag, and Apple Watch will show their real-time locations if they’re turned on, while AirPods must be out of their charging case. Unfortunately, you won’t see your offline devices. Here are several ways to track your lost Apple device if it’s not showing up on the Find My map.

  • Play a Sound: Open Find My > Devices > [your device name] > Play Sound—your missing gadget will play a fairly loud sound. It’s a good option if the item is just nearby.
    How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (13)
  • Set as Lost: Open Find My > Devices > [your device name] > Mark as Lost, set your Activation Lock, then turn on Notify When Found. Your device will remain locked until you find it and enter your unique activation lock.
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  • Erase Device Remotely: If you still can’t find your gadget, erase it remotely to prevent your personal data from leaking. Open Find My > Devices > [your device name] > Erase This Device.
    How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (15)

How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (16)NOTE

Erase This Device is different from Remove This Device. It will clear everything on your gadget and force it into Recovery Mode—be careful not to click it by accident. But if you do, call Apple Support. Don’t attempt to force it out of Recovery Mode unless you have experience because you might cause permanent damage to its logic board.

Does Find My Tell You When Someone’s on Their iPhone?

Find My tells you if someone is using your lost iPhone, Mac, or iPad if you turn on Mark as Lost. It’ll notify you when your device goes online. However, Find My doesn’t say the online status of friends and family members sharing their locations.

Can I Find a Lost iPhone That’s Turned Off?

Find My can find a lost iPhone that’s offline or turned off if you enable Find My network. Go to Settings > [your Apple ID profile] > Find My > Find My iPhone/iPad and toggle on the button for Find My network. Likewise, enabling Send Last Location shares your device’s location with Apple whenever it’s low on power.

If Find My keeps turning off without your permission, check your iCloud settings, power mode, GPS signal, and app permissions. You should enable it on all your Apple devices to utilize its features.

How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices (2024)

FAQs

How to Use Find My on iCloud to Locate Your Apple Devices? ›

Sign in to iCloud.com/find. Select your iPhone or iPad. If available, the map zooms in on your device's location. Select Mark As Lost, then follow the onscreen instructions to leave a phone number and message.

How do I track my lost iPhone with iCloud? ›

Sign in to iCloud.com/find. Select your iPhone or iPad. If available, the map zooms in on your device's location. Select Mark As Lost, then follow the onscreen instructions to leave a phone number and message.

Can you track where an Apple device has been? ›

One app to find it all. The Find My app makes it easy to keep track of your Apple devices — even if they're offline. You can also locate items using AirTag or Find My technology.

How do I use Find My Device? ›

On your device, open Settings. Find My Device. Turn Store recent location on. When “Store recent location” is on, your account stores your encrypted recent locations so you can find offline devices and accessories.

Can you use Find My iPhone through iCloud? ›

You can use Find Devices on iCloud.com to find the approximate location of your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and Beats product if Find My is set up on the device and the device is online. To sign in to Find Devices, go to icloud.com/find.

What is lost mode on iCloud find devices? ›

Lost Mode lets you lock your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or Apple Watch so that others can't access your personal information.

Can I locate someone else's lost iPhone? ›

How to Help a Friend Find Their iPhone
  1. Open the Find My app.
  2. Select Me from the options on the bottom of the screen.
  3. Tap Help a Friend at the very bottom.
  4. This will open iCloud.com. ...
  5. Have your friend sign in to iCloud using their Apple ID to see their devices.
  6. Select the device they are looking for.
Apr 16, 2024

How does Apple device tracking work? ›

An AirTag sends a Bluetooth signal that connects to any nearby device present within Apple's Find My network. Its location gets directed to the cloud and is also visible on a map. Besides, you can enable the beep feature on Find My app to track your AirTag.

Can I use Find My iPhone to Find My wife's phone? ›

Locate a family member's device

See Locate a device in Find My on iPhone. Your devices are at the top of the list, and your family members' devices are below yours.

How do I Find My iPhone if its offline? ›

Find My network: If your device is offline (not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular), Find My can locate it using the Find My network. On a supported iPhone, turning on the Find My network allows you to locate your iPhone for up to 24 hours after it's turned off, or up to 5 hours when it's in power reserve mode.

How do I Find My device using my phone number? ›

Find, secure, or erase a device remotely
  1. On another Android phone or tablet, open the Find My Device app . ...
  2. Sign in. ...
  3. From the listed devices, select the device you want to locate. ...
  4. You may be prompted to provide the lock screen PIN for the Android device you want to locate.

How do I track my stolen phone? ›

If you lose an Android device or Wear OS watch, you can find, secure, or erase it remotely. You can also help a friend find, secure, or erase their lost device with the Find My Device app. If you've added a Google Account to your device, Find My Device is automatically turned on.

How to find lost iPhone using Google account? ›

Find your iPhone

Say "Hey Google, find my phone" or “find my iPhone” and Google Assistant should send a notification to your iPhone that makes it ring for about 25 seconds. To stop the ringing and dismiss the notification, tap the notification. . It also tells you which iPhone it will ring.

Can you track an iPhone by phone number? ›

Can I Track an iPhone Location Using a Phone Number? Yes! Whether you use Family Orbit's iPhone Monitoring Software, Number Tracker Pro, or one of the other options listed here, you can track an iPhone location by phone number. You can also track an iPhone's location without having a phone number for it in some cases.

How do I Find My lost iPhone without Apple ID? ›

FAQs. Q: How can I track an iPhone without an Apple ID? A: You can track an iPhone without an Apple ID by using a tracking app such as Find My iPhone. This app will allow you to track the location of your iPhone without the need for an Apple ID.

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