Guides

How To Use Find My iPhone to find Your Apple Device

By Official SIM Unlock  •  09 July, 2020

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This article contains a step by step guide on how to use Find My iPhone to find a misplaced device. Find My iPhone is an extremely useful app if you have lost one of your Apple devices. You can use this software to locate a lost iPhone, iPad or even your misplaced Apple Watch, AirPods or Mac.

Keep reading to find out about a new feature in iOS 13 that allows a user to find their Apple device even if it is turned off, the battery has died, or it is not connected to the internet. 

If you need an iPhone unlocked, you can visit our website for the best prices online.

Unfortunately, there are times where it may be necessary to know how to lock your Apple device and delete all of the data, for example, if your phone has been stolen and you are concerned about someone having the ability to use your Apple pay service. This article will walk you through how to keep yourself and your data safe if your iPhone has been stolen. 

 

Safety First – Don’t Take Matters Into Your Own Hands

 

Although it is tempting to do everything in your power to retrieve your iPhone after it has been stolen, this can put you into a very dangerous situation. It is much safer to use the information from Find My iPhone to help the police locate your stolen phone rather than trying to deal with it yourself. 

There have been many instances of people taking extreme measures when they discover their iPhone was stolen. Take for example, the man in the UK who tracked down and killed the person who stole his son's iPhone! This man claimed he retaliated in self-defence because the thief stabbed him. He ended up getting imprisoned for six years after pleading guilty to culpable homicide. Clearly, there are easier ways to deal with a stolen phone! 

Here are the two best ways to try to locate a lost or stolen iPhone.  

 

Using the Ping Function

 

Probably the easiest way to find a lost iPhone is to use your paired Apple Watch or HomePod and get it to ping your iPhone for you. Pinging your iPhone essentially means sending a signal to your phone for you so you can locate it.

If you have a paired Apple Watch all you need to do is swipe up from the bottom of the screen. This will bring up the Control Centre. From there it is easy to see the ping button. The ping button is an iPhone icon with curved lines emanating from it. Just tap that icon and if your phone is anywhere within hearing range you should hear a ding coming from it. Simply keep pinging your iPhone until you can locate it. 

If you have installed the September 2018 software update you will be able to use the same feature on a HomePod. You will need to say to your HomePod "Hey Siri where's my iPhone?" If the iPhone is anywhere nearby Siri will respond with, "I found [name's] iPhone nearby, should I make it play a sound?"

 

Find My iPhone

 

If you have ever had a phone, there is a good chance you have lost it at least once and you know how frustrating it can be to search and search without success! Luckily, there is a free app provided by Apple called Find My iPhone and it does just what the name suggests, finds your iPhone for you. You do have to set up the app, but it is a simple process. The valuable Find My service is compatible with all of your other Apple devices as well, so not only will your iPhone be easy to find, you won’t have to worry about losing your iPad, Mac or Apple Watch either. You can now use the Find My app to find people as well!

Once the Find My iPhone app is set up you can use another iOS device or iCloud to find out where your iPhone is located. 

Take a few minutes to set up the app and then it won’t matter if your phone was left on the bus, in your desk or even stolen from your car,  Find My iPhone should allow you to track it down. At the end of this article there is a useful guide to setting up Find My iPhone. 

When you begin using your phone you should set up Find My iPhone and register it for the Find My service, from there it is simple to use the Find My app to find your iPhone. The following steps will walk you through the process: 

 

Preparing to use Find My iPhone

 

• First, you will need an iOS device. You can always borrow one from a friend if you don’t have another one of your own. 

• You can go to iCloud.com on a Mac or PC and log onto your iCloud account there if you don’t have an iOS device available to you.

• Before 2018 the app was called Find iPhone but if your device is running iOS 13 you will look for the Find My app.

• The app will not work if you did not set up your iPhone and  register it for the  Find My service in the first place.

 

Using Find My on your iPhone/iPad

 

Here's how to track your iPhone using the Find My app (iOS 13):

• To find the app pull down from the top of the screen on your iOS device and type the word ‘find’ in the search bar. You will see the Find My icon in the applications menu.

• Tap on the Find my icon to open Find My. You will need to enter your Apple ID and Password. You use your Apple ID and password each time you purchase something from the Apple store or log into any Apple services such as Apple books, Apple News, Apple Music or Apple Podcasts. If you forgot your ID here's how to reset a forgotten Apple ID.

• Click on Devices.

• You will see a map which shows your location as well as the location of any other devices that are near you. If you think you may have left a device at work or home you can check those specific addresses to see if your device is there. 

• You will see a list of all of the devices you have registered. Just click on the one you need to find. 

• The location of your device will be shown on the map. You will also be given several options as to how you would like to proceed, including Play Sound, Directions, Notifications, Mark as Lost, and Erase This Device. 

• If you see the location of your iPhone changing or moving, it is an indication that you may have left your phone in someone’s vehicle or on a bus. In this case it would be best to choose the Mark As Lost option. If you can see your device on the map but you don’t know the location or it’s not showing a location at all it is still best to choose the Mark As Lost option. 

• After clicking Mark As Lost you will be asked to provide contact information for the person who finds your lost device, which should help them return it to you. You will have the opportunity to send a message to the person who finds your device.   Apple makes it extra easy by suggesting the phrase: "This iPhone has been lost. Please call me." Once you have completed these steps click on Activate. 

• If you do all of this and your iPhone is still not found, you should probably do two things. The first is tap on the Notify When Found option just in case it does get found one day and the second is to tap on the Erase This Device option so that nobody can access anything you have on your iPhone. 

• If you are pretty sure that you will not get your iPhone back it is our suggestion that you click on Erase This Device just to keep yourself safe. You should also let your local law enforcement know about your missing device.

Here's how to track your iPhone using the Find iPhone app (pre-iOS 13):

• If you're using an iOS device, searching the word Find will bring up the Find iPhone app. Tap to open.

• You will need to input your Apple ID and Password.

• When you see the compass icon and the word Locating you know that the app is looking for your device.

• Confirm that you will allow Find My iPhone to know your location and turn on Send Last Location. 

• You should see a map pop up that will indicate the locations of any registered devices you have. You will also see a list of all of your registered devices.

• You can use the map to zoom in on the location of your device or you can click on the device you are looking for from the list. 

• Click on the location of your device and you will see a few different options which may  include Play Sound, Directions, Notifications, Mark as Lost, and Erase This Device depending on the age of the iPhone you are using. 

• If your phone is newer you may now be able to switch your phone into Lost mode. This will do two things - shut your phone down completely and let you know its location  (more on Lost Mode below); If you don’t see this option you will still have the choice to lock the phone. If you choose this option your iPhone will be locked and you will still be notified of its location.

• If you are worried about your phone being opened you can choose Erase your iPhone ensuring that nobody can access your data but when you get your iPhone back all of your data will have been wiped.

• Don’t forget to sign out of Find My iPhone on whatever device you are using.

 

Use Find My on a friend's iPhone/iPad

 

You don’t necessarily need an iOS device to find your phone. All you need is a friend with an iPhone. Here is how to find your iPhone using your friend’s phone.

Note: You used to be able to simply log out of their account and log into your own but now with iOS 13 you will actually need to use iCloud to log in so the steps are slightly different. 

• Figure out if your friend is using iOS 13. If they are you will need to open the Find My app on their device. If they aren't using iOS 13 you can just log out of the app and log in as yourself.

• Click on the Me section.

• In iOS 13 you will see an option of Help a Friend. Click on it. 

• In order to get iCloud to open up you will now have to sign in with your  Apple ID and password. 

• A map with the location of your various devices on it should pop up. Click on the device you have lost and choose from the options: Play Sound, Lost Mode or Erase iPhone.

 

Use Find My iPhone with iCloud.com

 

Another way to use Find my iPhone is by using a Mac or PC. As long as you can log onto iCloud you should be able to access the Find My service.

• If you are using a Mac or PC, log onto  iCloud.com.

• You will need to know your Apple ID and Password. Sometimes you have to prove your identity using two factor identification. This can get difficult if you don’t have a second registered device to receive your six digit code on.  

• When you do get into iCloud.com and tap on Find iPhone you will see all of your registered devices.

• You will be prompted to Sign in again with your password. 

• You will see green dots on the map which indicate where your devices are currently located.

• When you tap on the green dot you will clearly see the location of your device and have the following options:  Play Sound, Activate Lost Mode, Wipe your iPhone.

• Another important feature is that you can see how much battery life your phone has left.

• It might be a good idea to add a number where you can be reached and send a message to the person who finds your iPhone. Now, with a little bit of luck you just have to wait and your iPhone will be returned to you. 

• At this point you may choose to  lock your iPhone, so that it can't be used but will continue to transmit its location, or erase the iPhone.

 

Using Lost Mode/Mark as Lost

 

Lost Mode is an important feature on iPhones that locks your phone, sends a custom message and tracks your phone’s location. Turning on Lost Mode is an essential step if you believe your iPhone has been stolen.  

Lost Mode will also disable Apple Pay and any other cards you may have set up on your device. If you do get your phone back you will be able to reactivate your cards at that time. Read more about how to use Apple Pay on iPhone here.

Keep reading to find out how to turn on Lost Mode:

• Use your Apple ID and password to Sign into Find My iPhone.

• Click on the device you wish to lock.

• On pre iOS 13 you will see the words Lost Mode and on  iOS 13 you will see Mark as Lost.

• If you have not yet created a passcode you will need to create one. You will also have the option of entering a phone number that will appear on your Lock screen so whoever finds your lost iPhone can contact you.

• At this point you will have the option to add a message to your Lock screen. You can say that your phone is lost and whoever finds it should contact you at the number given.

• One further advantage of turning on Lost Mode is that now your device is being tracked. You will see both the current location of your device as well as any movement that occurs. Even if Location Service was turned off your device will be tracked once you enable Lost mode. As soon as Lost Mode is turned on tracking will begin.

• If you misplaced your phone after it was turned off Lost Mode will only start to work if it is turned on again by someone. 

If you get your iPhone back, you should have no problems unlocking it using your passcode but if you run into problems our suggestion is to take it to an authorised Apple repair centre.

 

What is the iPhone is turned off/offline?

 

If you have not yet updated your iPhone to iOS 13 here is another good reason to do so now. With iOS 13 even if your iPhone is not connected to the web you will still be able to use Apple’s Find My service to track your phone using Bluetooth!

Regardless of whether your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi or not, your lost device will be seen by Bluetooth beacons on other Apple devices, this means it will be easier than ever to find a lost device. Don’t forget you will have to ensure that Offline Mode is enabled on your iPhone in order for it to be tracked in this way.

Offline Mode should be enabled by default, but you can check by following these instructions:

• Open Settings.

• At the top you will see your photo and name. Click on this. 

• Click Find My and Find My iPhone.

• Now you can see if Enable Offline Finding is toggled to on. Now, if you are not connected to the web you can still locate your phone.

• One other option to check for is that Send Last Location is on. This way you will be able to receive the last known location of your phone (if your battery is dead you will get the last location before your phone died).

You do not need to upgrade to iOS 13 to use Send Last Location. It is a feature that has been available for a while. After your battery runs out or your phone is turned off you can access the last known location of your iPhone for 24 hours. To ensure you will have this option if you misplace your phone look for the alert prompting you to turn on Send Last Location as it will not be enabled by default. 

If you have Send Last Location enabled, you will know where you lost your iPhone which may help you to determine if it was stolen or just misplaced.  

Follow these steps to turn on Send Last Location in iOS 12 or earlier:

• Open Settings. At the top of the screen you will see your name. Click on your name. 

• Click Find My iPhone.

• Ensure both Find My iPhone and Set Send Last Location are turned to On.

 

Can you find an iPhone without Find My?

 

Unfortunately, if you did not enable Find My iPhone you are out of luck as far as locating your iPhone with this app but there are several important steps you can take to keep your data and accounts safe.  

 

• The first thing we suggest trying is to text your phone with a message like ‘This phone has been lost please contact the owner’. Include your contact number and with a little bit of luck some kind person will see your text and return your phone to you.    

• As you know, there are many features that can be accessed if someone has your Apple ID password so if you think someone may have your phone you should change your password Here is a step by step guide on how to change your Apple ID and password.

• Take further precautions by changing the passwords on all of the other apps you may use such as email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. 

• Tell your carrier to disable your account. 

• Freeze your Apple Pay service. 

• It is time to get the police involved. Report your lost or stolen iPhone.