How to use Find My on iCloud to find a lost or stolen iPhone?

The most unfortunate and unwanted incident in one’s life is when your phone gets lost without a trace, or, in the worst case, gets stolen. Fortunately, with Apple’s “Find My” app, you can remotely track down your lost or misplaced iPhone and lock or wipe it even if it goes offline. The Find My app is an iOS 13 combination of Find My iPhone and Find My Friends and works on other devices, including your iPad, iPod Touch, and even your Mac. With Family Sharing, you can help locate missing devices of your friends and family. This App might not prevent you from losing your phone, but it may help you find it if you have to Find my feature activated before losing your device. You need to set up Find My before you can find a lost device, find friends and family members, or share your location. Find My iPhone does more than tracking your iPhone. It also enables an Activation Lock, which securely stores your Apple ID on Apple’s operating servers and automatically connects to your device. Screen gets locked, and your password must be entered before anyone can close Find My, wipe your device, or reset it.

Here’s how to set up “Find My” application to help you find your missing device, even when it has gone offline. 

How to turn on Find My for your iPhone/iPad?

You can set up Find My on your iPhone/iPad by following the steps below.

1. Go to Settings and tap <your name>.
2. Tap Find My and turn it On.
3. Turn on Share My Location to let your friends and family know where you are.
4. Tap on “Find My iPhone” to reveal advanced options.
5. Turn on Offline Finding, to view your device even when it’s offline.
6. Turn on Send Last Location to send the location of your device to Apple when the battery is low, or the phone turns off.

Note: Make sure to turn on Location Services to find your lost device on a map. To do this, Open Settings > Go to Privacy > Tap on Location Services and turn on Location Services.

How to turn on Find My on Apple Watch and AirPods?

If your Apple Watch and your AirPods are already paired with your iPhone, they are automatically set up when you enable Find My.

How to turn on Find My on your Mac?

To turn on your Mac, follow the steps given below.

1. Choose Apple menu on the top left of the screen.
2. Go to System Preferences,
3. Click on Security & Privacy, and open the Privacy tab. 
4. Click on the locked padlock in the lower-left corner and enter your credentials.
5. Click on Location Services.
6. Select the Enable Location Services checkbox. 
7.  Select Find My Mac.

How to use the Find My app to locate a lost or stolen iOS device?

You can use the Find My app on another iOS device signed in with the same Apple ID or sign in to iCloud.com/find.You can also use the device of someone in your Family Sharing Group to help locate your iPhone.

If your iPhone, iPad, or Mac is lost or stolen, these steps might help you locate it and protect your information.

How to locate your iPhone using Find My on another iOS device:

1. Open Find my iPhone from your applications and sign in with your Apple ID. 
2. Tap on Devices to see all your devices located on the map.
3. Tap the device that is lost to see more Actions.

• Play Sound: If your device is nearby, an alert sound is played on the device to help you, or someone nearby finds it. If your device is offline, it can not play a sound until it gets connected to a network.

• Directions: Choose Directions to open your device’s location in Maps. If you have Offline Finding feature enabled. You can see your device’s location, even if it’s not connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network.

• Mark As Lost:  If you tap Activate under the option “Mark as Lost,” it will remotely lock your missing iPhone with a passcode. You can display your phone number and custom message on the Lock screen for anyone who finds your device.

• Erase this Device: To prevent someone else from accessing data on your lost device, you can delete it remotely. When you tap on “Erase this Device,” all your information (including credit, debit, or prepaid Apple Pay cards) is deleted from the device, you will no longer be able to track it using Find My app on iOS or iCloud. Erasing the device will shut down the activation lock, and any other person can use your device. It is always good to back up your iPhone to iCloud regularly in case you need to restore the erased data on another phone.

How to locate your iPhone using Find My on iCloud:

To find a lost or stolen iPhone with Find My on iCloud, follow the steps given below.

1. Sign in to iCloud.com/find on any web browser.
2.  Sign in with your Apple ID. 
3. Click All Devices. 
4. Select the device you want to locate.
5. You can get the precise coordinates by zooming in or out on the map, and take further actions by using the controls on-screen to 

• Play sound (an alert tone is played on the device to help you or someone nearby finds it).
• Mark as Lost  (which can display a message on the screen for anyone who finds it).
• Erase this device (which you’ll only want to do if it’s stolen or presumed lost forever).

How to locate someone else’s iPhone with Family Sharing?

If you have set up Family Sharing in iCloud, every person in your Family Sharing list will appear when you use the Find My app on iOS or iCloud website.

Note: If you have found your lost iPhone and an activation lock is active, and you have forgotten your iCloud password. Here is how you can bypass Activation lock on iPhone.