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Go to Settings > your name > Find My and check that Find My iPhone is on. If you're asked to sign in, enter your Apple Account information.
Turn on Find My network and Send Last Location under Find My iPhone. With Send Last Location, the location is sent to Apple when the battery becomes critically low. On a supported iPhone, the Find My network can locate it for up to 24 hours after it's turned off, or up to 5 hours in power reserve mode.
Family members' devices appear in Find My only if you set up Family Sharing first. Each family member chooses whether to share their location and can stop at any time. Without sharing, family can't see the device's location, but can still check its status, play a sound, use Lost Mode or erase it.
Selling: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings — erasing turns off Find My and Activation Lock. Apple's checklist: before you sell or give away your iPhone.
Buying: «iPhone Locked to Owner» on start-up means Activation Lock is on — don't take it. If you don't see that screen, start setup: if it asks for the previous owner's Apple Account, the phone is still linked to them. It's ready when you see the Hello screen.
How to set it up
Four setup steps on the iPhone, then four checks. Find My availability and features might vary by country or region.
On the iPhone
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Open Find My settings
Settings > your name > Find My. If you're asked to sign in, enter your Apple Account information.
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Turn on Find My iPhone
Tap Find My iPhone and turn it on. This connects the iPhone to your Apple Account and turns on Activation Lock.
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Turn on Find My network
Lets Find My locate the iPhone when it's offline — not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular.
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Turn on Send Last Location
Sends the iPhone's location to Apple automatically when the battery becomes critically low.
Checks and extras
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Separation alerts
With the iPhone in Find My, you can also get notified if you leave it behind.
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Family Sharing
Set up Family Sharing if you want family members' devices to appear in Find My below yours.
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Keep your Apple Account password
It is needed before anyone can turn off Find My, erase the iPhone, or reactivate and use it — including you.
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Test it
Go to icloud.com/find, sign in and select your iPhone. The Find Devices button on the sign-in window lets you sign in without a two-factor code.
What Find My can still show when the iPhone goes quiet
Three situations, three different counts
- Send Last Location on: the location is sent to Apple
- power reserve mode
- up to 5 hours
- after it's turned off
- or up to 24 hours
- since the last report through the Find My network
- up to 7 days
- «No location found»
- more than 7 days
With Find My on — and without it
| If the iPhone is lost | Find My was on | Find My was off |
|---|---|---|
| See it on a map | Its current location when it can send one; the last known may show instead (iCloud.com: up to 24 hours while «Offline») | No — Find My has to be on and connected to the owner's Apple Account before the loss |
| While it's offline | Through the Find My network, if that was on | No — Find My isn't set up |
| Lost Mode | Locks it; a message you add shows once it's online | Not available — Find My isn't set up |
| Activation Lock | On automatically; your password is needed to reactivate | Turns on automatically only when Find My is turned on |
Limits: when Find My shows less
- The 24-hour and 5-hour windows apply to a supported iPhone with the Find My network on.
- After more than 7 days since the iPhone last sent its location through the Find My network, Find My shows «No location found».
- If the iPhone is online but can't send its location — for example, an issue with Location Services — it shows «Not sharing location • Online».
- With Stolen Device Protection on, if you use the iPhone to change your Apple Account password while in an unfamiliar location, your devices' location may not be visible at icloud.com/find.
- If you lose access to your Apple Account and can't reset the password, you might be unable to use or reactivate your own iPhone.
Selling or buying a used iPhone
- Before you sell: erase it with Erase All Content and Settings; erasing turns off Find My and Activation Lock. Apple's full checklist: before you sell or give away your iPhone.
- Already sold it with Find My on? At icloud.com/find, select the iPhone and erase it — don't enter a phone number or message, since it isn't lost. When the email says it's erased, select Remove This Device: Activation Lock is removed and the new owner can activate it.
- Before you buy: an iPhone on iOS 15 or later that shows «iPhone Locked to Owner» is protected by Activation Lock — don't take it. If the passcode Lock Screen or Home Screen appears, it hasn't been erased. If setup asks for the previous owner's Apple Account, it's still linked to them: hand it back and ask the seller to remove it from their account. Don't take a phone that isn't erased or is still linked. It's ready when you see the Hello screen.
Questions
How do I check whether Find My is on?
Check it: Settings > your name > Find My > Find My iPhone. The iPhone has to be connected to your Apple Account before Find My can locate it.
Can Find My find my iPhone if it's switched off?
On a supported iPhone with the Find My network on, for up to 24 hours after it's turned off, or up to 5 hours in power reserve mode.
What does Send Last Location do?
When the battery becomes critically low, the iPhone sends its location to Apple automatically.
How long does Find My show the last location?
In the Find My app, up to seven days. If more than seven days have passed since the iPhone last sent its location through the Find My network, it shows «No location found».
What is Activation Lock?
Part of Find My that turns on automatically with it. Your Apple Account password is needed before anyone can turn off Find My, erase the iPhone, or reactivate and use it.
Is the Find My network private?
Apple says it is crowdsourced from Apple devices using Bluetooth, and that it's all anonymous and encrypted.
Can I find my iPhone after erasing it remotely?
With iOS 15 or later, yes — you can still use Find My to find it, and Activation Lock stays on. On older versions you can't find it after erasing.
Sources
- Apple — Turn on Find My for your iPhonesupport.apple.com
- Apple iPhone User Guide — Add your iPhone to Find Mysupport.apple.com
- Apple — Use Find My to locate your lost Apple device or AirTagsupport.apple.com
- Apple — Activation Lock for iPhone and iPadsupport.apple.com
- Apple — Share your location with family (Family Sharing)support.apple.com
- Apple — What to do before you sell or give away your iPhonesupport.apple.com
- Apple iCloud User Guide — Remove a device from Find Devicessupport.apple.com
- Apple iCloud User Guide — Locate a device in Find Devicessupport.apple.com
- Apple iCloud User Guide — Use Lost Modesupport.apple.com
We read these official pages and checked the steps against them in November 2026.