How to find a lost iPhone: Find My step by step
You can find a lost iPhone at icloud.com/find or in the Find My app on another Apple device. Sign in with the same Apple account, select the phone, and you have three options: Play Sound (if the phone is nearby), Mark As Lost (locks the device, shows a message with your contact details, and turns on Activation Lock), and Erase iPhone (last resort — after this you can no longer see its location). Thanks to the Find My network, location is still reported even for a switched-off phone — on iPhone 11 and newer, for up to 24 hours after it powers down. The feature only works if Find My iPhone was turned on before the phone was lost; it cannot be enabled afterwards. If it was stolen, don't go looking for it yourself — report the IMEI to the police.
You can find a lost iPhone at icloud.com/find or in the Find My app on another Apple device. Sign in with the same Apple account, select the phone, and you have three options: Play Sound (if the phone is nearby), Mark As Lost (locks the device, shows a message with your contact details, and turns on Activation Lock), and Erase iPhone (last resort — after this you can no longer see its location). Thanks to the Find My network, location is still reported even for a switched-off phone — on iPhone 11 and newer, for up to 24 hours after it powers down. The feature only works if Find My iPhone was turned on before the phone was lost; it cannot be enabled afterwards. If it was stolen, don't go looking for it yourself — report the IMEI to the police.
In this article
- How the Find My feature works
- Turn on Find My before you lose the phone
- The phone is gone: what to do in the first few minutes
- What to do if the phone doesn't show up at all
- Overview of Find My features
- Find My and buying a second-hand phone
How the Find My feature works
The Find My app (formerly Find My iPhone) is built into every iPhone and links the device's location to your Apple account. When you lose your phone, open Find My on another device or the icloud.com/find website, sign in, and you'll see the last known location on the map.
The key element is the Find My network. A lost iPhone broadcasts an encrypted Bluetooth signal that any nearby Apple device can pick up and anonymously report back to you. That means you can locate a phone even without a SIM, without Wi-Fi and with a dead battery — on iPhone 11 and newer, the chip keeps sending its location for roughly 24 hours after the phone switches off.
The second crucial point: turning on Find My automatically enables Activation Lock. The phone can't be activated or used without the password to your Apple account, making it essentially worthless to a thief. This is also why, when buying a second-hand phone, you should always insist that it's signed out of the previous owner's Apple account.
Turn on Find My before you lose the phone
Without this step, nothing can help you if the phone goes missing — the feature can't be switched on remotely afterwards. Check it now; it takes a minute.
1. Open your Apple account settings
Settings → tap your name at the top.
2. Select Find My
Then Find My iPhone.
3. Turn on Find My iPhone
The main toggle must be green.
4. Turn on Find My network
This ensures you can locate the phone even offline and after it's switched off.
5. Turn on Send Last Location
The phone sends its position to Apple's servers just before the battery runs out.
6. Check location permissions
Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services must be turned on.
The phone is gone: what to do in the first few minutes
Follow these steps in order. Every step is reversible except the last one.
1. Open icloud.com/find
From a computer, tablet, or a friend's phone. It also works in a browser on Android. Sign in with your Apple account.
2. Select the device from the list
You'll see the last known location and when it was reported. A grey dot means the device is offline.
3. Play a sound
If the map shows the phone is nearby. The sound plays even if the ringer is muted, and it's loud.
4. Turn on Lost Mode
The phone locks immediately, your message and phone number appear on the screen, Apple Pay payments are blocked, and you'll get a notification as soon as it comes back online.
5. Keep watching the location
Leave the tab open. As soon as the phone connects, the map updates. Newer models even offer directions to the location.
6. Contact your mobile operator
Have the SIM blocked so no one can make calls or receive verification texts on your number.
7. Erase only as an absolute last resort
Choosing Erase iPhone wipes the data, but you also lose the ability to track its location. Activation Lock stays active even after erasing.
What to do if the phone doesn't show up at all
A grey icon or a "Location Not Found" message doesn't necessarily mean it's over.
- Leave Lost Mode turned on: As soon as the phone connects to the internet anywhere in the world, or comes within range of another Apple device, you'll get an email notification with its location.
- Check Family Sharing: If you share location with family, the phone might also show up in their Find My app.
- Check your Significant Locations history: On another device signed in to the same account: Settings → Privacy → Location Services → System Services → Significant Locations.
- Report the theft to the police: Never go to an address shown on the map to collect the phone yourself. Report the IMEI to the police — you'll find it on the invoice, on the box, or in the device list in your Apple account.
- Report the loss to your insurer: If your phone or home is insured, a police report is usually required for a claim.
- Watch out for phishing texts: After a loss, messages like "Your iPhone has been found, sign in here" often follow. These are phishing attempts targeting your Apple account password. Never click these links — Apple doesn't send texts like this.
Overview of Find My features
What each option does and when to use it.
| Play Sound | The phone beeps for two minutes even when muted. Use it when the map shows it's within earshot. |
|---|---|
| Directions | Opens navigation in Maps to the last known location. |
| Mark As Lost | Locks the device with a passcode, shows a message with your number, disables Apple Pay, and reports when it's back online. Reversible. |
| Notify When Found | A notification the moment the phone appears on the network. Always leave this on. |
| Erase This Device | Irreversibly removes the data. Location reporting stops. Activation Lock remains. |
| Remove From Account | Don't do this. It turns off Activation Lock and makes the phone fully usable for whoever finds or stole it. |
Find My and buying a second-hand phone
Activation Lock is the main reason you should never buy a used phone from a private seller that isn't signed out of the seller's Apple account. After a restart, such a device requires the original password, and no one — not even Apple or a repair shop — can unlock it.
When collecting a phone, always check three things: no Apple account should be signed in at the top of Settings, the IMEI in Settings → General → About must match the paperwork, and the Activation Lock screen must not appear on first setup.
With us, you don't need to worry about any of this. Every pre-owned iPhone we sell is signed out of any other account and completely wiped. On top of that you get a 2-year warranty and it's unlocked for all carriers. Delivery within 2 business days, or collect in person at selected iLoveServis stores, where we'll set the phone up for you on the spot.