How to Find a Lost iPhone

The phone is not where it should be and calling it has not turned up anything. The common worry is that a phone that is off or out of battery is untraceable. Find My records the last known location before a phone goes dark, and recent models keep broadcasting for hours after they power off, so there is usually something to work with.

Open Find My from another device

On another iPhone, iPad, or Mac signed in to the same Apple Account, open the Find My app and tap Devices. From any computer, go to icloud.com/find and sign in with the same Apple Account. A family member's device works if you share location through Family Sharing.

Play a sound if it is close

Select the iPhone in the list and tap Play Sound. The phone chimes at full volume even if it is set to silent, which finds it under a cushion or in a bag. If the phone is offline, the sound plays the next time it connects.

Check the location and get directions

The map shows where the phone was last seen and when. Tap Directions to navigate there. Turn on Notify When Found so you get an alert if the phone comes back online, and note that the last location before the battery died is preserved when Send Last Location is enabled.

Mark it as lost

Tap Mark As Lost and follow the prompts. This locks the phone with its passcode, displays a message and a contact phone number on the screen, suspends payment cards in Wallet, and keeps tracking active. Anyone who finds it can reach you without getting into anything on the device.

Erase it and report it if it is gone

If recovery is not realistic, choose Erase This Device from the same screen. The phone stays tied to your Apple Account, so it cannot be reactivated by someone else. File a police report with the serial number, found under Settings, General, About on another device or in the device list of your Apple Account.

Turn the settings on before you need them. Open Settings, your name, Find My, Find My iPhone and enable Find My network and Send Last Location. With Find My network on, iPhone 15 and later can be located for up to 24 hours after powering off.

Do not go after it yourself. A pin on a map is an approximate location, not proof of who has the phone. Give the location and the police report to law enforcement rather than arranging to meet a stranger.