find my app iconIn iOS 13 and iPadOS, Apple combined the Find My Friends and ‌Find My‌ iPhone apps into a single app, called "‌Find My‌."

‌Find My‌ works similarly to the two apps it replaces. In this article, we'll show you how to set up ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ on your iOS device so that you can use the ‌Find My‌ app to locate stolen, lost or misplaced Apple devices, including iPads, AirPods, Apple Watches, Macs, and of course, iPhones.

Before you do anything in the ‌Find My‌ app, you need to set up the iCloud-based service on all of your devices. The following steps show you how to set up ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ on iOS devices and Macs.

How to set up Find My iPhone on iOS

  1. Launch the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌ or iPad.
  2. Tap the banner with your name in it at the top of the screen.
    how to use find my 2
  3. Tap Find My.
  4. Tap Find My iPhone.
  5. Tap the toggle switches to the ON position next to Find My iPhone, Enable Offline Finding, and Send Last Location.how to use find my 1

How to set up Find My on Mac

  1. Click the Apple () symbol in the menu bar at the top-left corner of the screen and select System Preferences....
  2. Click the iCloud icon in the preference panel.
  3. Check the box next to Find My Mac.

If you see a Details button next to ‌Find My‌ Mac, select Details -> Open Security & Privacy -> Enable Location Services. If Enable Location Services is dimmed in Security & Privacy preferences, click and enter your administrator name and password.

Using Find My to Locate a Lost Device

When Apple replaced the old ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ app with ‌Find My‌, it added a feature under the hood that allows you to locate lost devices that aren't connected to Wi-Fi or LTE by using the Bluetooth signal of your other nearby Apple devices.

When your lost device is offline but close to another device, it can connect to that device over Bluetooth and relay its location. The feature makes your devices more trackable than ever, and gives you a better chance of finding a device that's been lost.

The ‌Find My‌ app is available by default on all new iOS devices, but if you've deleted it, you need to download the free app from the App Store. Once it's installed, launch the ‌Find My‌ app and then sign in with the Apple ID you use for iCloud. (If the iOS device that you've lost or misplaced is the only one you own, you can log in to Find My on a Mac or PC instead.)

find my
Once you've logged into the iOS app, you'll be presented with a map and a list of all the devices that are signed into your ‌iCloud‌ account. On the map, tapping the info icon (the circled 'i') in the top-right corner of the screen lets you change the map view to Satellite, Standard, or Hybrid, and set the distance to show as Miles or Kilometers. You can also tap the arrow icon in the top-right corner of the screen to center the map on the currently selected device.

Swipe up on the devices card to reveal the full list. Note that the line below each device tells you its last known location, while a padlock on a device's icon indicates that it's lost and has been manually locked. If you tap a device in the list, you'll gain access to additional device options.

how to use find my to locate a lost iphone
When you swipe up on the device actions card, the options available to you will depend on the type of device you're trying to locate, but you should always have the option to play a sound to locate a nearby device as long as it's powered on and within range.

If it's a Mac, iOS device or Apple Watch you're trying to locate, you can put it into Lost Mode (this ensures your passcode is required on the device before anyone can turn off ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ or erase it) or remotely erase it. If the ‌Find My‌ app knows where the device is located, you can also tap Directions, which will take you to navigation directions in the Apple Maps app.

If the selected device is out of range of network coverage or powered off, you can tap Notify When Found, and Apple will email you when the device is located. Any other options you choose in the device actions menu (Erase iPad, for example) will be performed the next time the device comes back online. Lastly, if the selected device has been irretrievably lost, you can choose to unlink it from your ‌iCloud‌ account by tapping Remove This Device at the bottom of the screen.

Related Stories

Apple Releases iOS 15.1.1 With Call Improvements for iPhone 12 and 13 Models

Wednesday November 17, 2021 10:20 am PST by Juli Clover

Apple today released iOS 15.1.1, a minor update that comes almost a month after the launch of iOS 15.1. The iOS 15.1.1 update can be downloaded for free and the software is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the new software, go to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, iOS 15.1.1 improves call drop performance...

Apple Releases watchOS 8.1.1 With Fix for Apple Watch Series 7 Charging Issue

Thursday November 18, 2021 10:14 am PST by Juli Clover

Apple today released watchOS 8.1.1, a minor update to the watchOS 8 operating system that came out in September. watchOS 8.1.1 comes three weeks after the launch of watchOS 8.1, an update that added SharePlay Fitness+ group workouts and other features. ‌‌watchOS ‌8.1.1 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update....

Apple Updates AirPods Pro Firmware to Version 4A402 and AirPods 3 Firmware to 4B66

Tuesday November 16, 2021 11:34 am PST by Juli Clover

Apple today released a new 4A402 firmware update for the AirPods Pro, which is up from the prior 4A400 firmware that was released back in October. Apple has also updated the AirPods 3 firmware to 4B66, up from the 4B61 that was previously available. Apple does not offer information on what's included in refreshed firmware updates for the AirPods‌, so we don't know what improvements or bug ...

Only a 'Small Fraction' of iPhone Users Will Use Self Service Repair Program, Study Suggests

Very few iPhone users will repair their own iPhone to postpone their next smartphone purchase, despite the Self Service Repair program, according to research by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP). Earlier this week, Apple announced the Self Service Repair program, giving customers who are comfortable with the idea of completing their own repairs access to Apple genuine parts,...

AAPL Stock Sets New All-Time High Following Latest Apple Car Rumors

Thursday November 18, 2021 10:13 am PST by Eric Slivka

Right on the heels of a fresh round of rumors about Apple's autonomous car project, Apple's stock price spiked to a new all-time high today, touching $157.87 per share before pulling back slightly. The previous all-time intraday high was set back on September 7 at $157.26, and Apple's stock is now up over 21% so far in 2021 and 33% over the past twelve months. Investors are no doubt...

Black Friday Spotlight: Target Offers $15 Gift Card With Purchase of $100 Apple Gift Card

We've been tracking early Black Friday deals in our dedicated Black Friday Roundup, and in an effort to prepare our readers for the big shopping event we're highlighting sales store-by-store in the lead-up to November 26. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Target. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running....

Apple Announces Self Service Repair Program, Starting With iPhone 12 and 13

Apple today announced the "Self Service Repair" program, allowing users to complete their own repairs via a new online store dedicated to parts and tools. The Self Service Repair program will give customers who are comfortable with the idea of completing their own repairs access to Apple genuine parts, tools, and manuals, starting with the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups. The scheme will be...