After spending a lot of money on our iDevices or computers, it’s hard to imagine we might one day lose them or worse yet, have them stolen! Unfortunately, iPhones, iPad, iPods, and even Macs are misplaced, lost, or stolen all the time. The good news is that Apple offers its users some great tools to help you recover your stolen or lost Apple product(s) AND protect all your data from any prying eyes.
Hopefully, you turned on Find My iPhone in your iCloud Settings before you lost your device!
Find My iPhone (and its counterparts like Find My Mac, Apple Watch, iPad, iPod, or even Find My AirPods) is the best way to keep track of your devices and your best friend when you discover you’ve lost, misplaced, or had a device stolen. Find My iPhone helps locate lost devices, disable devices you cannot find or recover, and can even erase them remotely, so no one has access to your information.
This guide takes a deep dive into how to use Find My iPhone to locate and if necessary remove and erase any devices you just cannot find or suspect were stolen.
And if you never turned on Find My iPhone, there are still things you can do if you lose your Apple Watch, AirPods, Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch or think someone stole it.
Step 1: Sign into Find My iPhone for lost, misplaced, or stolen Apple devices
If you already set up the iCloud and Find My Phone service on your device, then you just might be able to locate your device!
How do I locate my iPad, iPhone, or iPod?
Once you realize that you no longer have possession of a device, the first thing you should do is open the Find My iPhone App. You can either sign in to Find My iPhone using its’ website via a computer or use the Find My iPhone app on another iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
Find My iPhone’s Lost Mode helps to locate and track your missing Apple devices. You can even play a sound or display a custom message!
Once signed into Find My iPhone
Find your missing device in the list of devices signed in with your Apple ID
Tap on the missing device, even if it shows as Offline
Locate and tap your missing device in the Find My iPhone App, even if it shows as offline
For devices listed as online, look at the map for its current location and if the device is close by, tap Actions and choose Play Sound. Listen for any beeping to help you locate it
Always tap Play Sound just in case your iDevice is nearby
For offline devices or if you cannot locate your device using Play Sound, choose Lost Mode from the Actions menu
If you cannot hear the sound playing, tap Lost Mode for the next steps
When you turn on Lost Mode, Find My iPhone does the following:
Allows you to lock your device with a passcode. When you lock a Mac, you can no longer track it, change the passcode remotely, or erase it
Turn on Lost Mode when you cannot locate your device
Let’s you create a custom message on your device’s lock screen where you can say that this device is stolen and add your email, phone number, or other contact information
It’s always a good idea to create a custom message for Lost Mode
Lost Mode tracks any changes to the location of your iOS device or Apple Watch when the device is online. Lost Mode does NOT track your Mac.
It suspends Apple Pay so no one can make purchases using any of the credit, debit, or prepaid cards you registered to your Apple ID
Lost Mode shows my device is off or offline, what can I do?
When a missing device is off or offline, you should still lock it with Lost Mode or if necessary, erase it.
If necessary, erase your device remotely with Find My iPhone and Lost Mode
The next time your device comes online, any action you take in Lost Mode immediately takes effect.
I forgot to turn on Find My iPhone, what can I do?
If you did not turn Find My iPhone on, change your passwords immediately and report the device as stolen or missing.
Change your Apple ID password to prevent anyone from accessing your data or using any services
Change the passwords for other accounts and apps on your device that may contain sensitive information like your email accounts, bank app accounts, and social media
Report to both your carrier and to local law enforcement
At this time, Find My iPhone is the only way to locate and track a stolen or missing device.
If you did not enable Find My iPhone on your device before it went missing, there’s no other Apple service that can find, track, or locate that device for you.
Step 2: Contact your carrier
If an iPhone or a cellular iPad was stolen or you cannot locate it, call your wireless carrier and ask them to suspend your service for that device.
You want to prevent ANY calls, texts, and data use by another party. The last thing you need is additional bills for phone calls, data charges, or other purchases you never made!
If you think you might find or recover the device, you can request a temporary suspension.
If you believe the device is gone for good, ask them for a permanent suspension.
It’s also a good idea to speak with them about replacement options, so you continue to have a line of service. And you might just discover that your device might is covered for a free or lower cost replacement under your wireless plan.
That’s why we recommend changing your Apple ID password to keep your account as secure as possible.
Step 4: File reports with police and local authorities
If you are sure that your device is stolen contact your local law enforcement agencies. When possible, have your device’s serial number available and provide that number to the police.
How do I locate my iPhone, iPod, or iPad serial number?
If you have your product’s original packaging, check the barcode to find the serial number
Check your original packaging for the missing device’s serial number
If you sync with iTunes, find the serial number from the Devices tab in iTunes preferences by hovering your pointer over the name of the device–wait for the information to pop-up
Hover your mouse over the missing device’s name to see the serial number and other information
Your device’s serial number is also on the original product receipt or invoice if purchased from Apple
You can also locate your serial number(s) online using your Apple ID
And if you have a third-party insurance policy that covers theft like an umbrella policy or some homeowners’ policies, call your insurance company too!
For most of her professional life, Amanda Elizabeth (Liz for short) trained all sorts of folks on how to use media as a tool to tell their own unique stories. She knows a thing or two about teaching others and creating how-to guides!
Her clients include Edutopia, Scribe Video Center, Third Path Institute, Bracket, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Big Picture Alliance.
Elizabeth received her Master of Fine Arts degree in media making from Temple University, where she also taught undergrads as an adjunct faculty member in their department of Film and Media Arts.
In the case with stolen/lost iPhones check out iPhonetracer- these guys can help you track/find a lost/stolen iPhone using IMEI or Serial number if needed and if nothing else helps.
What they do is track an iPhone via IMEI or Serial number, you will need to have it on hand – you can find it on the box from your stolen/lost iPhone.
They helped me to find my stolen iPhone by IMEI and I got it back using their information and reports. They send very useful information.
hi there. i lost my phone last night.
i wonder how the iCloud is working..
someone break my car and took my phone away.
at the same time i used my friends phone to lock my phone by logging in my apple ID .
and created 7 digit pin number. after like 40 minutes my friends phone alarming so loudly
and got the first location. but when i see the picture of it its offline? . maybe i was too late to see the p picture or the guy just turn it on and saw the message and turned off. and still now he is not turn on the phone i guess thats why i can’t track him ? is there any other way that he uses my phone? like.. slide to unlock the screen and see my pictures or something like that. i have listed my phone to blacklist using my imei code. do i only can track him when he turn on my phone?
i heard theres a technician that can unlock the cloud and factory re-set… is that possible?
In the case with stolen/lost iPhones check out iPhonetracer- these guys can help you track/find a lost/stolen iPhone using IMEI or Serial number if needed and if nothing else helps.
What they do is track an iPhone via IMEI or Serial number, you will need to have it on hand – you can find it on the box from your stolen/lost iPhone.
They helped me to find my stolen iPhone by IMEI and I got it back using their information and reports. They send very useful information.
hi there. i lost my phone last night.
i wonder how the iCloud is working..
someone break my car and took my phone away.
at the same time i used my friends phone to lock my phone by logging in my apple ID .
and created 7 digit pin number. after like 40 minutes my friends phone alarming so loudly
and got the first location. but when i see the picture of it its offline? . maybe i was too late to see the p picture or the guy just turn it on and saw the message and turned off. and still now he is not turn on the phone i guess thats why i can’t track him ? is there any other way that he uses my phone? like.. slide to unlock the screen and see my pictures or something like that. i have listed my phone to blacklist using my imei code. do i only can track him when he turn on my phone?
i heard theres a technician that can unlock the cloud and factory re-set… is that possible?