How To Find Your iPhone if It’s Lost or Stolen

The last thing anyone wants is to lose or misplace their iPhone, but it happens. To make it easier to find and track these devices, Apple offers the Find My feature for its users. With the Find My app from Apple, you can locate your iPhone no matter where it is.

Find My app

Find My app has plenty of features to help you locate your stolen iPhone or even missing Apple devices like AirPods. You can get help finding your iPad or Apple Watch on a map as long as it is connected to your Apple ID. Some features of this app vary depending on your region.

Features of Find My on iPhone

• View location
• Play Sound
• Mark as Lost
• Remote Erase
• Notify When Found
• Notify When Left Behind

Find My app can also automatically send you the device’s last location if the battery is about to die.

How to Enable Find My on iPhone

You must enable Find My on your iPhone to use it when locating your device. Here is how to enable Find My on iOS 15:

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone.

   

2. Select your Apple ID.

   

3. Tap Find My.

   

4. Slide the toggle to the right to turn on the Find My app.

   

Using Find My to Find Lost or Missing Apple Devices

With Find My enabled on your iPhone, you can quickly locate other iPhones and Apple devices linked to your Apple ID. Here is how:

1. Go to Find My app on iPhone.

   

2. Select Devices to check how many devices are linked to your Apple account.

   

3. If not enabled, click Enable to activate Find My on your iPhone.

   

4. You will see the location below the device name if the device can be located. If the device cannot be found, you will see Offline under the device name.

   

Using Find My on iCloud

If you don’t have access to another iPhone, you can use iCloud to find the last location of your device. Here is how:

1. Sign in to your iCloud account.

   

2. Go to Find iPhone.

   

3. You will see the Current Location of your iPhone.

   

Finding Your iPhone When Offline or Dead

Tracking your iPhone using the Find My app can be complicated if your phone is not connected to the internet. You can use the Find My network feature to locate your iPhone when it’s offline. Turning it on means your device will remain visible on the Find My as long as you enable the Find My network feature.

To enable Find My Network, go to Settings > Apple ID >Find My > Find My Network.

Important: If your phone’s battery is dead, you can toggle on Send Last Location which will show you your phone’s last location before its battery finished.

Other steps to take after your phone is missing or stolen

• Mark as lost so that the device requires a passcode to access it.
• Report the lost iPhone to law enforcement. You should also provide your iPhone’s serial number if you have it.
• Ask your carrier to disable your account so no calls or texts arrive to your device.
• If AppleCare+ covers you for Theft and loss, you need to file a claim for replacement.
• If all efforts to retrieve your device fails, you can remotely erase your device using the Find My app after approval of your replacement request.