Whatever You Do Don’t Confront A Thief
If you’re able to track your phone to a house or apartment building, don’t confront the potential thief on your own. Call the cops and ask for their help. Sure, you want to get your phone back, but getting into a confrontation and potentially getting hurt isn’t ideal.
Contact your local police and let them handle it.
How To Find A Lost iPhone With A Different Apple Device
If you own an iPad or Mac or you share your location with a Family Sharing Group and have access to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac belonging a group member, you can use one of those devices to find your lost iPhone even if it’s dead.
Open the Find My app on the device you’re using.
Find Your iPhone Using Another Device
If you happen to own another Apple mobile device like an iPad, you can use the Find My app on it to locate your lost iPhone. Or if you use location sharing with a family member, they can help locate your iPhone with Find My on their device.
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For this example, well use an iPad. Open the Find My app and tap Devices in the small box on the bottom. You should see a list of devices to pick from as well as their current locations plotted on the map.
Tap your iPhone in the list to see its exact location. You should see the address in the box and the icon on the map. From there, you can use the additional features to play a sound on it, get directions to its spot, or mark it as lost.
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Find My iPhone Using Icloudcom
The same goes if you are attempting to track a lost iPhone using a Mac or PC. You can log onto iCloud and access the Find My service there.
Recover Your Lost iPhone: The Find My App Is Key
Every single iOS device has Apple’s Find My service, formerly Find My iPhone, built into its system settings. The app is connected to and managed by your Apple ID. The moment you realize you’ve lost your phone, the first thing you should do is visit icloud.com/find on a computer, open the Find My app on another Apple device you own or have a member of your Family Sharing group use the Find My app on one of their Apple devices. Alternatively, you can use the Find My app on another Apple device by signing in with your Apple ID.
If accessing Find My via the website or on someone else’s device, it’s important to sign in to the same iCloud account linked to the lost iPhone. After signing in, click the All Devices option at the top of the screen, then select your phone from the list. The map will refresh, taking you to the current location of your phone. If the device has been turned off, the last known location will be shown.
When viewing the device’s location, use the card in the top-right corner of the screen to play a sound, turn on Lost Mode or remotely erase your phone. Or in the Find My app, you can scroll down to find the same options, with the addition of turning on notifications for whenever the device is found if it goes offline.
The Find My website makes it easy to track down your lost Apple devices.
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How To Use Find My On A Friends iPhone Or iPad
If you dont have an iOS device handy to search for your iPhone using the Find My app, but you do have a friend with an iPhone, heres what to do:
Note: In iOS 13 you will need to use iCloud to locate the lost iPhone from another persons iPhone. Pre iOS 13 you could just log out of their account and log in to your account using their iPhone, in which case, you can follow the steps in the previous section.
What’s Accessible On A Lost iPhone
Most people probably don’t think about the extent of the information stored on an iPhone until it falls into the wrong hands, but there’s a lot of data that’s potentially accessible. In the event your iPhone is stolen, there’s likely enough detail about you to make you vulnerable to phishing attempts and malicious social engineering.
Below is a list of what someone can find out about you and what remains hidden behind a passcode. If you don’t have a passcode, your iPhone is an open book.
Before Turning on Lost ModeWith a passcode on, whatever is available through the lock screen can be used. If you have Notification Center, Control Center, and Siri access enabled, all of those features are available to a stranger. Anything you can access from the lock screen, a stranger can access.
Siri can answer personal questions about who the iPhone belongs to and offer up contact information. Asking “Whose iPhone is this?” or “Who am I?” gives a name and a phone number. Apple Music can be turned on, and Siri can be used to make phone calls to contacts based on commands like “Call mom.”
Siri won’t give more detailed contact information like your email address without a fingerprint, apps can’t be opened, and settings can’t be changed.
If you have the Medical ID feature set up through the Health app, all of that information is available, including emergency contacts, height, weight, blood type, allergies and health conditions.
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How Do You Find Someone Else’s iPhone
Help someone else find their iPhone by following these simple steps. Once you master this move, you can sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter to find more ways to be your friends’ iPhone savior.
I don’t recommend using the third option in that bottom menu–deleting everything from the iPhone with the Erase iPhone buttonunless you’re sure the phone is in danger and the private data is at risk of being stolen. To help make this decision, you can read up on what Lost Mode does, and see if it will do an adequate job of protecting the compromised iPhone.
Now that you know how to find someone else’s lost iPhone, you’ll be very popular with your more forgetful friends!
Master your iPhone in one minute a day: to get our FREE Tip of the Day delivered right to your inbox.
See The Location Of Your Device On A Map
You can see your devices current or last known location in the Find My app.
Tap Devices at the bottom of the screen, then tap the name of the device you want to locate.
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If the device can be located: It appears on the map so you can see where it is.
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If the device cant be located: You see No location found under the devices name. Under Notifications, turn on Notify When Found. You receive a notification once its located.
For troubleshooting steps, see the Apple Support article If Find My iPhone is offline or not working.
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Find Your iPhone Using Your Mac
The Find My app is also on macOS, so you can find your iPhone if you own a Mac as well.
Open the Find My app on your Mac and click the Devices tab on the top left. Youll see a list of your devices and their current locations on the map.
Select your iPhone to see its spot on the map and then click the Info icon on its label. You can then perform the same actions as on iPad. Play a sound on your iPhone, get directions to it, or mark it as lost.
How To Find Your Lost Or Stolen iPhone Using The Find My App
If your iPhone was lost or stolen, here’s how to locate, recover, and block your iPhone to protect your data.
We rely on our smart devices for almost everything, so it’s easy to panic if one of them goes missing. Luckily, the Find My app makes it easier than ever to locate a lost iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, whether it’s still at the office or slipped down the back of the couch.
If you’ve never used the Find My app to find a missing device before, follow the steps below to learn everything you need to know.
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Look At The Medical Id For More Information
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Action: Access the Medical ID feature, even with a locked iPhone.
If you’re still looking for the owner of a lost iPhone, try the Medical ID feature. While its main purpose is to provide important medical information to first responders in case of an emergency, it can also give you more clues about the owner’s identity.
To access the Medical ID function, access the lock screen on any iPhone and select Emergency on the bottom-left side of the screen. You’ll then see a number pad on the screen. At the bottom-left of that screen, select Medical ID.
If the owner has set up the feature, you’ll see their name and more information about them. Hopefully, that will help you track down the owner.
Set Up Separation Alerts
If you have a newer iPhone running iOS 15 and an Apple Watch running watchOS 8, you can set up separation alerts that will let you know if you leave your iPhone behind, preventing it from getting lost in the first place.
Here’s how to enable it:
With this feature enabled, you can get an alert if your iPhone is left somewhere when you leave. This also works for all of other Find My devices and AirTags.
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How To Use Find My iPhone To Find Lost Or Stolen iPhone Or iPad
Youve probably arrived at this article because youve lost your iPhone, or even worse, think it might have been stolen. The good news is that Apple has software that can make it easy to track down a lost iPhone, and if it has been stolen you can use that software to wipe the iPhone and lock it down so that your data is protected.
In this tutorial we will talk you through how to use Find My iPhone to discover the location of your iPhone or iPad.
We also explain how you can still track the location of your iPhone even if the battery has died or it is no longer connecting to the internet. You can now find a lost iPhone that is turned off thanks to a new feature in iOS 13, more on that below.
Finally, for situations when your iPhone has been stolen and cannot be recovered, we explain how to lock the iPhone, wipe your data and make sure that services like Apple Pay cant be used.
Become A Friendly Neighborhood iPhone Tracker For Your Friends With This Simple Solution
The iPhone Find My app is a great tool to find a misplaced, lost, or even stolen iPhone. While it is most commonly used to locate your own devices, you can also find someone elses iPhone using this feature. The Find My app allows you to help a friend find their iPhone, since it now cleverly combines the Find My iPhone and Find My Friends functions that Apple released previously.
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How To Find A Dead iPhone: Set Up Find My iPhone Last Known Location
Does Find My iPhone work when a phone is dead? Yes, if you’ve set up the Find My iPhone last known location feature. If you don’t have this feature turned on, it will be much harder to find an iPhone that is dead. The catch is that you need to have turned this feature on before your iPhone was lost.
Pro Tip: You can also use Find My to set up alerts on your Apple Watch so that you never forget your phone. These can be set up for your phone and other devices and items.
Found A Lost Or Stolen iPhone Here’s What To Do
Found a lost or stolen iPhone? Here’s how you can try to unlock a lost iPhone and return it to its rightful owner.
Even with the best of intentions, it’s often difficult to know how to proceed when you find a lost or stolen iPhone. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to help return the device to its rightful owner.
There’s no exception when it comes to other people’s property, so holding onto something that isn’t yours could be theft. Plus, all modern iPhone models are useless to anyone other than the owner, thanks to Apple’s Activation Lock feature.
So here’s what to do if you’ve found a lost iPhone.
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One App To Find It All
The Find My app makes it easy to keep track of your Apple devices. Locate items youve attached AirTag to. And keep up with friends and family. It works on iPhone, iPad and Mac even if your missing devices are offline. And your privacy is protected every step of the way.
A Final Note About Lost Or Stolen iPhones
Keep in mind that many iPhone owners can either use Find My iPhone to track their device or they can call their carrier and report it lost or stolen. If the latter happens, that phone cannot be activated on many cellular networks, at least in the United States.
There is no finder’s keepers rule when it comes to lost property such as cell phones. If you find it and don’t turn it in, it can still be considered theft. If Find My iPhone is activated and the owner successfully tracks you, they may have gotten law enforcement involved. So keep this in mind if you happen to stumble across a misplaced iPhone. The decisions you make from the second you pick it up can affect you, too.
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Try Using The Voice Activation Feature Siri
When you have a new iPhone from version 6s upwards, the Hey Siri feature can get used. You should know that you need to set it up manually before the phone gets lost. It allows you to have the advantage of activating the device via an activated voice command of Hey Siri, which is accompanied by a loud activation tone.
You can hear your iPhone tone if its near you regardless of its current level of Volume. You should continue talking to Siri after activation so that you build clear communication and if she doesnt get to hear you correctly, then Siri will prompt a question to you so that you can track her voice to your phone.
Get Directions To A Device
You can get turn-by-turn directions to your device if you see its location on the map. In iOS 15.0.1 or later, you can get additional instructions for supported AirPods if you turned on the Find My network for them and youre near them.
Tap Devices at the bottom of the screen, then tap the name of the device you want to get directions to.
Do one of the following:
Turn-by-turn directions: Tap Directions to open the Maps app
Nearby finding: If youre near your AirPods, tap Find. Start moving around to locate your AirPods and follow the onscreen instructions. As you get closer, the text will change from far to near to here.
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