How to find your iPhone — recover your lost iOS device

iPhone 12 mini
(Image credit: Future)

"How to find iPhone" is one of the most popular Google search queries as of this writing. Perhaps the iOS device is slipping out of pockets as Apple owners scramble to secure the best Black Friday 2021 deals as the holidays draw near. No matter the reason, thanks to the Find My app, you should be able to locate your lost iPhone within seconds.

In order to find your misplaced iPhone, it should have already been setup within the Find My network. (This is done by navigating to Settings > Your Name and toggling on "Find My.") If your phone isn't in the Find My network, unfortunately, you cannot use the Find My app to locate your device. Secondly, you may need another iOS device (signed in with your Apple ID) to facilitate Apple's Find My process.

How to find your lost iPhone

As mentioned, the "Find My" toggle on your misplaced iPhone should be turned on. Otherwise, you won't be able to find it. If your lost iPhone is registered to Apple's Find My network, locating it should be easy. Follow the steps below to find your iPhone.

1. Go to the iCloud Find My iPhone official page on a browser (on any device).

FindMy

FindMy (Image credit: Future)

2. Type in your Apple ID.

3. You may be prompted to type in a code that will be sent to another iOS device that you own. Once you've input the code, the Find My dashboard will launch.

FindMy

FindMy (Image credit: Future)

4. Click on "My Devices."


5. Tap on the iPhone device that's missing and Apple will show you a map of where it's currently located. If your device is offline, Apple will show you its last known location.

FindMy

FindMy (Image credit: Future)

On the top left corner, you'll find a small window that tells you how much battery juice is remaining on your lost iPhone. You can also remotely render your iPhone inaccessible by clicking on "Lost Mode." Plus, a message will appear on the screen to inform others that the iPhone is misplaced.

If you can't get to your iPhone and you're concerned about strangers finding your personal data, you can wipe the entire device. You can do this by clicking on "Erase iPhone."

If you cannot recover your iPhone, don't despair. We've unearthed plenty of incredible Black Friday 2021 phone deals that will help replace your lost iPhone with a brand spankin' new one. An iPhone 13 Pro Max sounds nice, doesn't it?

Kimberly Gedeon

Kimberly Gedeon, holding a Master's degree in International Journalism, launched her career as a journalist for MadameNoire's business beat in 2013. She loved translating stuffy stories about the economy, personal finance and investing into digestible, easy-to-understand, entertaining stories for young women of color. During her time on the business beat, she discovered her passion for tech as she dove into articles about tech entrepreneurship, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the latest tablets. After eight years of freelancing, dabbling in a myriad of beats, she's finally found a home at Laptop Mag that accepts her as the crypto-addicted, virtual reality-loving, investing-focused, tech-fascinated nerd she is. Woot!