How to turn Find My on or off on your iPhone

A misplaced, stolen, or damaged phone can put a damper on any day. Luckily, Apple's Find My™ feature can help you locate your iPhone®, secure it, and even erase it remotely if needed. Here's how to turn Find My on or off—and when you might need to.

👉 Important to note: If your phone needs repair or replacement and is covered by insurance—such as the Asurion mobile protection plan—you'll need to turn off Find My before returning your device. Follow the steps below to make sure it's deactivated correctly.

How to turn on Find My

When it's turned on, Find My helps you locate your iPhone if it goes missing—even when it's offline—and gives you the option to lock or erase your device to help protect your personal information. Here's how to make sure it's enabled:

1. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My > Find My iPhone.
2. Tap the switch to turn Find My iPhone on.
3. Turn on Find My network to help locate your device even when it's offline.
4. Turn on Send Last Location so your iPhone automatically shares its location with Apple if the battery gets critically low.

For more steps to take if your device is misplaced, read our guide to finding your lost or stolen iPhone.

There's also a tool called Activation Lock, which helps prevent anyone from using your device or erasing its data without your Apple Account credentials. Activation Lock is automatically enabled when you turn on Find My.

How to turn off Find My

There are a few reasons to turn off Find My: if you're selling or giving away your iPhone, you’ve filed a claim and you’re sending it in for repair or replacement, or following instructions from your phone insurance provider. Choose the option below that fits your situation.

If you still have your iPhone and it's working

1. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My > Find My iPhone.
2. Tap the switch to turn Find My iPhone off.
3. Enter your Apple Account password, then tap Turn Off.

Seeing "Security Delay in Progress"?

If Stolen Device Protection is enabled, Apple may require a one-hour Security Delay before you can turn off Find My. Once the delay ends, return to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My and complete the steps above.

If needed, you can also remove Activation Lock through iCloud by following Apple's instructions. Once the Security Delay ends, you'll have a limited window to complete the process, so it's best to finish the steps as soon as possible.

If you no longer have your iPhone or it isn't usable

If you forgot to turn off Find My before sending your device in for repair or replacement—or your iPhone is no longer working—you can still remotely erase it and remove it from your account.

---

How to remotely erase your iPhone

If you no longer have access to your device, you can erase it remotely to help protect your personal information.

1. Turn off your iPhone if it's still powered on.
2. Open the Find My app on another Apple device signed in to your Apple Account, or visit iCloud.com/find.
3. Sign in to your Apple Account if prompted.
4. Select your iPhone from the list of devices.
5. Choose Erase This Device (or Erase iPhone, depending on the interface).
6. Since your phone isn't lost, you don't need to enter a contact number or message.
7. If your device is offline, the erase will begin the next time it connects to the internet.
8. Once the erase is complete, choose Remove from Account. This also removes Activation Lock.

Erasing your iPhone removes all of its content, but you can restore your data from a backup after your repaired or replacement device is ready.