Losing an iPhone can be a stressful, frustrating, and dangerous experience. Thankfully with Apple’s Find My feature, you have a good chance of recovering your device or at least protecting your data. In this article, we will discuss the steps you can take to find a stolen iPhone or iPad using Find My.
While the monetary value of these devices is enough to cause alarm, when you add in the loss of personal and sensitive information and the risk involved, it becomes a scary situation. But don’t worry, we may have the solution you need to find your stolen iPhone or iPad.
Note: Do not erase or erase your stolen iPhone or iPad from Find My or your Apple ID, if you have AppleCare+ with Theft and Lost. Do it once the request is approved.
1. Find your lost iPhone or iPad on Find My
Find My iPhone works on both iOS devices and through the web. So, if you lose your iOS device, you can track it right through the browser on your Mac or Windows PC. So let’s get going.
Method 1: Track your iPhone using Find My Web on Mac, Windows or other devices
Step 1: On the browser, open Find My Web.
Step 2: Sign in with the Apple ID used on your lost or lost iPhone.
Step 3: You can see all your devices as green (online) or gray (offline) dots on the map.
Step 4: Click All Devices from the top and select iPhone/iPad from the list.
Step 5: Here, zoom in or out to locate.
Step 6: If the phone is nearby, (in an office, home, or restaurant premises), click Play sound to ring. This will help you spot it.
While Find My provides step-by-step directions to the location, this feature is limited to the Find My apps. Frustratingly, you can’t drop pins or export location data. So you will rely on your Map reading skills for this.
Method 2: Find your lost phone via Find My app on Mac, iPhone or iPad
Note: The Find My app only lists and supports devices that use the same Apple ID. Therefore, the following method only applies if you have another Mac or iPhone or iPad signed in with the same Apple ID.
Step 1: Launch the Find My app.
Step 2: Go to the Devices tab.
Step 3: Here select the missing device in the list.
Step 4: You can zoom in or out to deduce the final position.
Step 5: Select the letter i next to the device name (Mac) or swipe the card up (iPhone/iPad).
Step 6: Here you can:
- Make sound
- Receive guidance
What if a device goes offline
When your device is offline, i.e. turned off or out of coverage, you’ll see the last known location in Find My. You can get directions for a location and even ping (play a sound) for it.
Obviously, a powered off device won’t ping and you’ll see an audio waiting message. Once online, the device will play a sound and you will also receive an email notification on your Apple ID.
Furthermore, you can also set an alert when your device is online. In the Notifications section, turn on Notify when found. Just make sure you’ve enabled Find My Notifications on your device.
What if I can’t locate my device on Find My
Here are some possible causes if you cannot locate your device on Find My,
- You did not turn Find My on or off prior to the theft.
- When using the Find My app, you may not be able to see your device’s location if its last location was collected seven days or more ago.
- When using Find My Web, the device location will not be available if the device is powered off, the battery is low, or the last location was updated more than 24 hours ago.
In any case, move on to the next section if you still cannot track your device.
2. Mark your iPhone or iPad as lost in Find My
If you can’t track your iPhone or iPad because it’s constantly offline, it’s time to take the step no. 2, ie marked as lost. Before you do that, though, check out what happens when your iPhone is in Lost Mode, so you’re on top of everything.
Method 1: Use Find My Sites to Lock Your iPhone or iPad in Lost Mode
Step 1: Go to Find My page → select your device.
Step 2: Tap the Lost Mode icon.
Step 3: Enter your contact information and click Next.
Step 4: You can edit the message if needed and tap Done.
This will now lock your iPhone and iPad and display the message and number you provided.
- To edit a number or message: Click Lock mode → make edits and click Done.
- To disable Lost Mode: Click Lock Mode → select Stop Lost Mode → click Stop Lost Mode again.
Method 2: Enable Lost Mode through Find My Apps
Step 1: Launch Find My app → Devices tab → select a device.
Step 2: Click the i next to the device name (Mac) or drag the card up (iPhone/iPad)
Step 3: Scroll down to Mark As Lost and select Activate.
Step 4: Next, click/tap Continue.
Step 5: Enter your contact information and select Next.
Step 6: Enter the message you want to forward and select Next.
Step 7: If yes, check Notify When Found and then select Activate.
- To edit a number or message: Click Pending or Activated from below Mark as Lost → make edits and click Done.
- Disable Lost Mode: Click Lock Mode → ‘Disable Lost Mode’ → Off.
Note: If the device goes offline during this process, you’ll see a Pending message marked as lost. Whenever your iPhone or iPad goes online, this locks it in Lost Mode and shows the added message with the phone number on the Lock Screen.
3. Remotely erase a lost iOS device from your Mac
Not just for lost or stolen iPhones, this particular step is highly recommended when you’re selling your iPhone. It allows you to permanently erase all data from your iPhone and iPad, while maintaining the Activation Lock.
So while your data remains safe, your iPhone or iPad remains locked to your Apple ID, rendering it useless to anyone who finds it. Plus, the method is pretty simple.
Method 1: Erase all data from iPhone remotely via Find My Web
Step 1: Go to the Find My website → select the device from the All Devices menu.
Step 2: Select Erase iPhone.
Step 3: Click or tap Delete to confirm action.
Step 4: Add your phone number (if you want to be contacted when someone finds your phone) and select Next.
Step 5: Next, add the notification (or can ignore) and select Done.
And no matter where your device is, in different cities or next to you, this will erase all of its data. Again, if your device is offline, all data will be deleted as soon as the device is turned on and you will receive a confirmation email.
Method 2: Erase all data from your stolen iPhone through Find My Apps
Step 1: Launch Find My app → go to Devices tab → select device.
Step 2: Click the i icon (Mac) or swipe up (iPhone) and select Erase This Device.
Step 3: Select Continue.
Step 4: Next, add your contact information (if needed) and click Remove from the upper right corner.
Step 5: Enter your Apple ID password and tap Erase to confirm.
Method 3: Erase your iPhone remotely from another iPhone
You can’t use the Find My iPhone and iPad app for another Apple ID. The only discount Apple offers is the Help Friends link in the Find My Apps Me tab. However, when you click on it, it will redirect you to Find My Site on your default browser.
Here, select ‘Use a different Apple ID’ → enter the Apple ID and Password of the lost device. Now follow the Find the Web steps mentioned above to track, Lost Mode and erase the device.
Note: Remember that if you have AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, don’t erase your device until your claim is approved.
4. Remove the lost device from your account
While we hope you get your lost or stolen device back, if you can’t get it back, this is the last step. This will sever all ties to the device and keep you safe if someone uses it for malicious activities.
Although you can wait weeks (until you’ve given up hope) or until your AppleCare+ request is approved to take this step. You can disconnect your iPhone from your Apple account in several ways, including Find My.
Once you’ve erased the device through Find My or Find My Web, click Remove from Account then Remove again to confirm.
Tip: Apple recommends contacting your wireless service provider to stop calling, texting, and data usage from your device if you can’t find your device.
FAQ to find your stolen iPhone or iPad
1. Can you unlock a locked iPhone with Find My iPhone?
No, you can only unlock or disable a locked iPhone using Lost Mode from Find My and the same Apple ID that originally locked the iPhone.
2. Is it possible to track an iPhone with Find My iPhone Off?
If Find My iPhone is turned off, you won’t be able to track your device’s location. However, you can still protect your data from prying eyes, although not with Find My.
3. Can I still track my device if the battery runs out?
If your device is offline (not connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network), Find My can locate it using the Find My network. On supported iPhones running iOS 15 or later, turning on the Find My network allows you to locate the device for up to 24 hours after turning it off.
4. Can I track my iPhone or iPad without Find?
Find My is the only official way to track your device if it is lost or stolen. There are a few third-party alternatives that might help. However, they are expensive and can come with the risk of a data breach.
The luckiest
We hope you were able to recover your lost iPhone or iPad. If not though, make sure you’re not jeopardizing your private and sensitive data like passwords, credit card details, pictures, etc.
The great news is that Apple is constantly improving its Find My services. Furthermore, the growing number of Apple devices also underpins Find My Network. So you should always have Find My turned on on all your Apple devices.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
