How can i find my sons lost iphone

You can use Find My iPhone to locate your iOS device if it has been lost or stolen. The free service provided by Apple uses the iPhone's built-in GPS so that you can track the location of your phone. Even better, it lets you do things like locking the phone over the internet so the person who has it can't use it or remotely deleting all the data on the phone. 

If your iPhone has been stolen and you didn't install the Find My iPhone app on it, don't panic. You don't actually need to the Find My iPhone app at all.

Download Find My iPhone for iOS

Find My iPhone: The Service and App Are Different

If your phone was stolen and you didn't have the Find My iPhone app installed, I've got good news: It doesn't matter! The Find My iPhone app isn't required for tracking your iPhone. To understand why this is the case, you need to understand that the Find My iPhone service and app are different things.

The Find My iPhone service is based in the cloud. That means the service lives on the internet, not on your phone or in the app, and can be used over the internet. This is an important point. The app is not what makes Find My iPhone work.

In fact, because it's a cloud-based service, you don't need an app at all. You can use Find My iPhone in virtually any modern web browser. Just go to iCloud.com and log in using the Apple ID you used to set up your iPhone (which is probably the same as you use for iCloud. If not, use the Apple ID you use with iCloud). Once you're logged in, click the Find My iPhone icon and you'll be using the tool.

Why Is Find My iPhone Not Working?

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What Is the Find My iPhone App For?

If the Find My iPhone app isn't required to use the service, then what is the app for? The app is actually just another way to track your lost or stolen iPhone.

Using the Find My iPhone app is basically the same thing as logging into iCloud to use the service as described in the last section. The idea isn't that you install the app on your phone to find your phone when it's lost. Instead, you install the app on someone else's phone to use while you're trying to find your missing phone.

You can use the Find My iPhone service on a computer to track a lost phone. But if you're trying to hunt down your device while you're on the move, doing it from a friend or family member's phone using the app is easier than lugging a laptop around the house or in a car.

The Find My iPhone Catch and The Good News

Now you know that you don't need the app to use Find My iPhone, but there's one other major requirement: You need to have turned on Find My iPhone before your phone was stolen. 

This isn't something that can be turned on after you lose the phone, whether you've got the app or not. Find My iPhone has to be enabled on your phone before it's lost if you want to find the phone.

Here's some good news: In iOS 9 and up, Find My iPhone is automatically turned on during the iPhone set-up process if you enable iCloud. So, if you have had iCloud running, it's a pretty good bet that you're running Find My iPhone, too. If not, make sure to turn on Find My iPhone right away.

What You Should Do If Your Phone Has Been Stolen or Lost

If your iPhone has been stolen, the first thing to do is protect your personal data. Use Find My iPhone to change the passcode or erase all data. Make sure you also remove your credit card information from Apple Pay through iCloud.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can I Find My iPhone from another phone or computer without access to my iPhone? Yes, the Find My iPhone app can be used on other phones as well as in an internet browser. This is distinct from the service you enable on your actual phone to be able to track it using the app.
  • Can I turn on iPhone tracking from another computer or phone? No, you need to have the service Find My iPhone enabled on your actual phone before you can track it elsewhere on other phones or computers.
  • How do you turn off Find My iPhone? Find My iPhone, when enabled, is toggled on in your iPhone's settings and can be toggled off just as easily. You will need access to the account your device is tied to disable Find My iPhone when it's enabled.

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Uh oh, your expensive iPhone is missing. Has it been lost? Has it been stolen?

You can track it down by using Apple’s Find My app from the iCloud website, any of your other Apple devices, or those registered to someone in your family. Or remotely erase all the data on it from the Find My app. With iO5 15, you can also hunt down your phone up to 24 hours after the battery is depleted or the device is turned off.

Of course, the trick here is to enable the necessary settings before your phone disappears so you can more easily locate it when it gets lost. Here’s how to set everything up.


Update Your Phone

How can i find my sons lost iphone

First, to find an iPhone that’s turned off or out of power, it needs to be running iOS 15 or higher. Go to Settings > General > Software Update. You’ll be told that iOS is up to date or be prompted to download and install the latest update.


Enable the Find My App 

How can i find my sons lost iphone

Next, make sure the Find My feature is enabled. Go to Settings > [Your name] > Find My > Find My iPhone and make sure that Find My iPhone, Find My Network, and Send Last Location are all turned on. Respectively, these options will enable Find My iPhone, allow it to work even if your phone is offline or turned off, and send the last known location of your phone when the battery charge is low.


Enable Family Sharing

How can i find my sons lost iphone

Another option you’ll want to check and activate is location sharing. You can share your location with family and friends in the Messages app and the Find My feature. To enable this, go to Settings > Find My and turn on Share My Location.

You may also want to enable Family Sharing, which allows participating family members to use their Apple device to see the location of your devices. To check the sharing status of a family member, tap their name, then tap Share My Location to share it with this person. To stop sharing your location with someone, select them and tap Stop Sharing My Location.


Locate a Lost Device From Your iPad

How can i find my sons lost iphone

Now, let's say your phone is lost. If you have another Apple device, fire up the Find My app. If you’re on an iPad registered to your Apple ID, for instance, you can tap Devices to see a list and a map showing the locations of your Apple devices. If your iPhone pops up on the map, tap the icon or select its entry in the list.


Locate a Lost Device From Your Mac

How can i find my sons lost iphone

You can do the same from a Mac that is running macOS Catalina or higher. Open Go > Applications > Find My to open the application. Click the Devices tab in the app and choose the missing device when it appears on the map or in the list and select the info button.


Locate a Lost Device With Family Sharing

How can i find my sons lost iphone

If you have Family Sharing enabled, you can use the iPhone or iPad of a family member. Open the Find My app on their device and swipe down the pane of detected devices. The app should show all the devices registered under your name; select your missing device.


Locate a Lost Device From the iCloud Website

How can i find my sons lost iphone

For those who do not have access to any other device, you can visit your iCloud website to find your phone. Open iCloud.com(Opens in a new window) in a web browser and sign in with your Apple ID and password. Click Find iPhone, then open the All Devices drop-down menu and select your iPhone.


Play Sounds and Get Directions

How can i find my sons lost iphone

Once your device has been selected on the map, you can then select from a few different options. Tap Play Sound, and your iPhone emits a pinging, sonar-sounding noise to help you find it. A notice also appears on the screen for a Find My iPhone Alert. Tap Directions to get driving or walking directions to the device's location.


Play Sounds From Your Apple Watch

How can i find my sons lost iphone

If you have an Apple Watch, you can use it to help find your phone. Swipe up from the watch face to display the Control Center. Tap the icon that looks like a ringing phone. Your iPhone emits the pinging noise to help you locate it. The noise goes off just once, so you'll have to keep tapping the icon to keep the pinging alive.


Mark Device as Lost

How can i find my sons lost iphone

If you can’t find your phone, scroll further down the pop-up menu for the missing device. Under the Mark as Lost section, tap Activate. This mode lets you lock your phone so no one else can access it and displays your contact information in case someone finds it.


Erase iPhone Data

How can i find my sons lost iphone

If you can't locate your phone and are concerned about it being accessed by the wrong person, tap Erase This Device to remove your personal information. The downside here is that an erased phone can no longer be tracked on the map, so only use this option if you have given up all hope of finding your phone.

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How do I find someone else's lost iPhone?

For a misplaced iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac, AirPods product, or supported Beats product, you can also use the Find My app on a device owned by someone in your Family Sharing group, or sign in to iCloud.com/find on a web browser.

How do I Find My daughters lost phone?

You can find your child's Android device location in the Family Link app if you're a parent..
Open the Family Link app ..
Select your child..
On the "Location" card, tap Set Up..
Tap Turn on. It might take some time to find your child's device location..