Are you trying to find and track a lost or stolen iPhone? If you need to find and track a lost iPhone, using Find My app to locate your iPhone is the easiest. Thankfully, Apple has made it really easy to track a lost iPhone with
Find My app
If your iPhone is lost or stolen,you can use “Find My” feature to wipe the iPhone and lock it down so
that your data is protected.
Here are step-by-step instructions for how to track a lost iPhone with Find My on iPhone and iPad.
(Actually, you can also use the
Find My app to locate your
Apple Watch,
AirPods
or
Mac.)
By the same token, we shall show you how you can track the location of your iPhone even if the battery has died or it is no longer connecting to the internet. Thanks to a new feature in iOS 13, it’s now possible
To find a lost iPhone that is turned off, more on that below.
Finally, in the event that your iPhone has been stolen and cannot be recovered, we’ll show you how to lock the iPhone, wipe your data and make sure that
services like Apple Pay can’t be used.
Here is the step-by-step guide that will show you how to find a lost iPhone, iPad, or Mac by using the FindMy app from an iPhone or iPad.
Before we dive into how to use Find My, however, you’ll need to set it up.
How to Enable “Find My” on Mac, iPhone, iPad
If you don’t have access to this feature or you have no devices showing up, there is a likelihood you don’t have the Find My feature enabled on the other device with the same Apple ID, whether that’s a Mac, iPhone, or iPad.
For you to use Find My to track a lost iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you need to have your device set up to use the service. That may appear obvious after the fact, however, ensure you
have this setting in place on your Apple device in advance so that you can use the Find My app in case you lose it.
Enabling “Find My Mac”
Follow these steps to enable Find My Mac
- Open “System Preferences”on your Mac.
- Click your Apple ID in the upper right and then click “iCloud.”
- Check the box beside “Find My Mac” To turn it on
- Confirm that you want to enable Find My Mac.
- You are all set. When you sign into
- Start the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Now, tap your name located at the top of the screen.
- Tap “Find My.”
- Slide the switch next to “Find My iPhone” to ”On” position.
- Start the “Find My” appp on your iPhone or iPad.
- Now, log in with your Apple ID and password if you are not yet already
- Next, tap your iPhone, iPad or MacBook in the list of devices.
- If a location is displayed on the map, it’s found your device.
- Next on, Tap your iPhone, iPad or MacBook in the centre of the screen. A couple of options will appear on this screen.
iCloud.com
on another computer or use the Find My app on your iPhone or iPad, you’ll be able to locate and erase your lost or stolen Mac, provided that it’s turned on and
connected to the internet. Remember to sign in with the same Apple ID that’s in use on your missing Mac.
Enabling “Find My iPhone” or “Find My iPad”
Follow these steps to enable Find My iPhone or Find My iPad on iOS or ipadOS:
You are all set! When you sign into
iCloud.com
on another computer or use the Find My app on another iPhone or iPad, you’ll be able to track and erase your lost device, provided that it’s turned on and
connected to the internet. Keep in mind to sign in with the same Apple ID that’s in use on your missing iPhone or iPad.
How to track a stolen iPhone, iPad or Mac with Find My
Its easy to track a lost Apple Device from iPhone or iPad with Find My.
Every iPhone or iPad comes with the Find My app pre-installed, so you don’t have to download any app to track lost iPhone, iPad or Mac.
The app works the same way both on iPhone and iPad, with the steps similar between both devices. The only difference is that the iPad has a larger display. Simply follow these steps to track a stolen or lost iPhone, iPad, or Mac using Find My app on iOS or iPadOS.
- Play Sound – This forces your device to play an audible sound. This is useful in case you think the device is nearby, as you’ll be able to hear it.
- Directions – This gives directions from your current location to the last place the device appeared
online. - Mark as Lost – This marks a device as lost. The device will be locked and you can provide contact information that will be displayed when the device
is found. - Erase this Device – This will completely wipe the entire content on a lost device. This should only be done as a last resort when you are pretty sure you will not recover it.
- Notifications – You can have Find My notify you when a lost iPhone has been found.
How to lock and erase your iPhone, iPad or MacBook if it’s stolen
As we’ve mentioned above, provided you’ve enabled Find My iPhone, Find My iPad or Find My Mac and your device is connected to the internet after it’s stolen, you can log into Find My app on an iPhone or iPad,
and use the Erase or Lock buttons to remotely erase data or lock the thief out of your iPhone, iPad or MacBook.
How do I track my iPhone or iPad if it’s offline?
If your iPhone is offline, then the Find My app will locate the iPhone’s current position using nearby Apple devices.
Here is how
Apple
describes it:
“Locate a missing device even if it’s not connected to WiFi or cellular using crowdsourced location. When you mark your device as missing and another
Apple user’s device is nearby, it can detect your device’s Bluetooth signal and report its location to you. It’s completely anonymous and encrypted endtoend,
so everyone’s privacy is protected.”
If you are running iOS 13 for iPhone or iPadOS 13, just follow these steps to enable the feature:
- Start the Settings app and tap your name on top of the screen.
- Next, tap “Find My.”
- Tap “Find My iPhone.” ,
- Toggle on “Enable Offline Finding”.
As you can see there are multiple options available to find the lost device; you can play a sound, find directions to the last known location of the device,
mark it as lost, erase it (do this only when you are pretty sure you will never locate the device), and set some other options too.
If you choose to mark your device as lost, the device will automatically activate the lock once it receives the lock command. if you opted to display a message, that message will appear on the screen of your lost iPhone . The device will then ask you to enter the passcode to unlock it. Once you’ve entered the correct passcode, the iPhone will unlock normally.
The final option is Erase this device. As you might expect, this feature lets you completely erase—securely—all data and settings from your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
You should only use the Erase this device option when you are sure you will never recover it.
An email will be sent to the address on file for your Apple ID when you perform any of these actions.
No one would be happy when they lose their device however, if you have Find My set up on the
iPhone,
iPad,
or
Mac
that got lost there are higher chances that you will be able to locate it, which is why this is such a nifty feature and service.
The steps outline above covers the iPhone and iPad, however, you could still perform
the same process on Mac,
as well.
How to track lost iPhone, iPad, or Mac? Now you know.
Now you know how to find lost iPhone, iPad or Mac but hopefully you’ll never need to use that feature. If you do, or you’ve previously used Find My,
Share your experiences with us in the comments section below. We’ve heard interesting stories!
It’s worth noting here that the Find My app arrived with the launch of
iOS 13
and
iPadOS,
so in case you can’t see the Find My app on your device it’s probably because you either deleted it, or have not upgraded your device to the latest iOS or iPadOS version.
Have you used Find My from iOS or ipadOS to find a lost iPhone, iPad, or Mac before? How did it go? We’d love to know your experiences with this feature in the
Comment section below!
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