To find a lost iPhone, open the Find My app on another Apple device signed in to your Apple Account, or go to icloud.com/find in any web browser. Select your iPhone to see it on a map, then tap Play Sound if it’s nearby or turn on Lost Mode if it isn’t.
This only works if Find My was turned on before the iPhone went missing. If it wasn’t, the phone won’t appear in Find My and can’t be tracked remotely, but there are still steps that protect your account and data. They’re covered further down.
Find your iPhone from another Apple device
Use an iPad, Mac or another iPhone that’s signed in to the same Apple Account. A family member’s device also works if you’re in a Family Sharing group and share your location with them.
- Open the Find My app.
- Tap Devices.
- Tap your missing iPhone in the list.
The map zooms to your iPhone’s location. Under its name you’ll see when that location was last updated. A recent time means the phone is on and connected; an older time means you’re looking at its last known location.
Find your iPhone from a web browser
No other Apple device? Use a computer or borrow someone’s phone.
- Go to icloud.com/find.
- Sign in with your Apple Account email or phone number and password.
- If you’re asked for a verification code and the lost iPhone is the device that would receive it, click Find Devices at the bottom of the window instead.
- Select your iPhone from the list of devices.
Apple built that Find Devices shortcut for exactly this situation, so you don’t need the code. Type the address yourself rather than tapping a link someone sends you. Before you use a borrowed phone, check it’s not signed in to its owner’s Apple Account in the browser, and sign out when you’re done.
What the location on the map means
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| A recent time, such as “Now” | The iPhone is on and reporting its current location. |
| An older time | The iPhone is offline or powered off. This is the last place it reported. |
| No location found | The iPhone hasn’t reported its location for more than seven days, according to Apple, or location reporting was off. |
A switched-off iPhone isn’t always invisible. With the Find My network turned on, an iPhone 11 or later running iOS 15 or later can still be located for up to 24 hours after it powers off, and for several hours in power reserve mode when the battery dies. Nearby Apple devices pick up its Bluetooth signal and relay the location anonymously.
Treat the map as a lead, not proof. Locations can be approximate, especially indoors or in cities.
Play a sound or get directions
If the map shows your iPhone somewhere familiar, like your home or car, make it ring.
- In Find My, select your iPhone.
- Tap Play Sound. The iPhone plays a sound that gets louder, even if it’s on silent.
If it’s somewhere else you can safely visit, tap Directions to open the location in Maps. On an iPhone with Ultra Wideband, you may also see Find Nearby, which points you toward the phone when you’re close.
To track your iPhone from someone else’s iPhone step by step, see our guide on tracking your iPhone from another iPhone.
Turn on Lost Mode if you can’t get it back right away
Lost Mode (called Mark As Lost in some versions) locks the iPhone with its passcode, shows a message and phone number on the Lock Screen, and suspends Apple Pay cards on it. If the phone is offline, it takes effect the next time it connects.
- In Find My, select your iPhone.
- Scroll down to the Lost iPhone section and tap Lost Mode (or Activate under Mark As Lost).
- Enter a phone number where a finder can reach you and a short message. Don’t include passwords or codes.
- Tap Activate.
You’ll get an email confirming Lost Mode is on. Our guide to locking a lost iPhone explains what the finder sees and how to turn Lost Mode off once the phone is back.
If you think your iPhone was stolen
- Don’t go after it yourself. Report the theft to local police and give them the location Find My shows. They’ll decide whether to act on it.
- Turn on Lost Mode right away if you haven’t.
- Report it to your carrier so they can suspend the line and block the SIM from being used.
- Have your serial number or IMEI ready for the police report. You can find them on the original box or by signing in at account.apple.com and choosing the device.
- If you have AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, file a claim, and don’t remove the iPhone from Find My or your Apple Account until the claim is approved.
Should you erase the iPhone?
Warning: Erasing removes all of your data and can’t be undone. Try locating the phone and Lost Mode first.
Erase only when you’re sure you won’t get the iPhone back and you’re worried about your data. To do it, select the iPhone in Find My or at icloud.com/find and choose Erase This Device. After an erase, keep the iPhone in your Apple Account. That keeps Activation Lock in place, so nobody can set it up without your password, and the Lost Mode message stays on screen. Apple explains this protection in its Activation Lock article.
How to find a lost iPhone without Find My
If Find My wasn’t turned on before the iPhone went missing, there’s no Apple tool that can locate it, and you can’t turn Find My on remotely. Apps that claim to track any iPhone by phone number don’t work. Instead, protect yourself:
- Change your Apple Account password from another device or at account.apple.com.
- Contact your carrier to suspend the line and report the phone lost or stolen.
- Report the loss to local police, with the serial number or IMEI.
- Change passwords for your email, banking and social media accounts that were signed in on the phone.
- Call your bank if you used Apple Pay or a banking app on the phone.
If the phone was lost somewhere specific, such as a restaurant, taxi or airport, call their lost-and-found too. Apple’s lost iPhone support page lists the same account steps.
Watch out for “we found your iPhone” scams
People who have a stolen iPhone often send texts or emails that look like they’re from Apple, saying your phone was found and asking you to sign in. The goal is to steal your Apple Account password so they can remove Activation Lock. Apple won’t ask for your passcode or a verification code to prove you own a device. Only sign in by typing icloud.com/find yourself or using the Find My app.
Make your next iPhone easier to find
On your current or replacement iPhone, go to Settings > [your name] > Find My > Find My iPhone and make sure Find My iPhone, Find My network and Send Last Location are all on. Send Last Location sends the phone’s location to Apple when the battery is critically low. Our guide to turning on Find My iPhone walks through each switch, and an iCloud backup means you can restore everything to a new phone if this one never turns up.
Matthew Roberts is the founder and editor of ARS Digitech. He started the site to answer the iPhone questions his friends and family kept asking him, and it has grown into a library of iPhone and iOS how-to guides. Matthew writes and maintains every tutorial on the site, checking steps and menu names against Apple’s official support documentation and updating guides when an iOS release moves a setting.