Add a device to Find My iPhone through Settings

To add a device to Find My iPhone, open Settings on the device you want to track, tap your name at the top, then select iCloud. Turn on Find My iPhone if it is not already on. That device is now added to your Find My network and will show up in the Find My app on any of your other Apple devices signed in with the same Apple ID.

The device you are adding must be running iOS 13.1 or later (or iPadOS 13.1 or later for iPad). If you are adding an older device, update it first through Settings > General > Software Update. Once the device is updated and Find My is turned on, it will appear in your Find My app within a few minutes.

If the device does not appear after ten minutes, sign out of iCloud on that device and sign back in. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Sign Out, enter your password, then sign back in with the same Apple ID. This refreshes the connection and usually makes the device visible in Find My.

Key Takeaways

  • Every device you own must have Find My turned on individually in its own Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud menu before it will appear in the Find My app.
  • All devices must be signed in with the same Apple ID to show up in the same Find My network.
  • A device added to Find My will appear in your Find My app on other devices within a few minutes, but may take up to ten minutes on slower connections.
  • If a device does not appear after ten minutes, sign out of iCloud on that device and sign back in to refresh the connection.

What happens when you add a device to Find My

Once Find My is turned on, that device broadcasts its location to Apple's servers using GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi signals. When you open the Find My app on another device, you see the location of every device on your account. The location updates in real time when the device is moving and checks in periodically when it is stationary.

The device does not need cellular service to be found — it can be located through Wi-Fi alone. If a device is offline, Find My shows you its last known location. When the device comes back online, the app updates to show the current location. This is why Find My is useful for finding a device that is lost at home or at work, even if it is not connected to the internet.

Adding a family member's device to your Find My network

To track a family member's device, they must sign in to their own Apple ID on their device, then turn on Find My in their own iCloud settings. You cannot turn on Find My for someone else's device remotely. Once they have turned it on, ask them to add you as a family member in Settings > [Their Name] > Family Sharing, and you will be able to see their device location in your Find My app.

Family Sharing is different from adding your own devices. When you set up Family Sharing, each family member keeps their own Apple ID and their own privacy. You see their device location, but they control what other information you can see. A child's device can be set up with parental controls that let a parent see location without the child being able to remove the device from Find My.

Troubleshooting a device that will not appear in Find My

If you have turned on Find My but the device still does not show up in your app, check that both devices are signed in with the same Apple ID. Open Settings > [Your Name] on both devices and verify the email address is identical. If one device is signed in with a different Apple ID, sign out and sign in with the correct one.

Next, check that Wi-Fi or cellular is turned on. A device with no network connection cannot send its location to Apple's servers. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi or Settings > Cellular and make sure at least one is enabled. If the device has been offline for more than a few hours, it may take several minutes to reconnect and appear in Find My after you turn the network back on.

If the device is on the same network and still does not appear, restart it. Hold down the power button until the power-off slider appears, slide to power off, wait ten seconds, then press the power button again to turn it back on. After the restart, open Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and verify Find My is still on. It sometimes turns off during a restart if there was a connection error.

Removing a device from Find My

To stop tracking a device, open the Find My app, tap the Devices tab at the bottom, select the device you want to remove, scroll down, and tap Remove This Device. The device will no longer appear in your Find My network. You can add it back later by turning Find My back on in its Settings.

If you are selling or giving away a device, remove it from Find My before handing it over. This prevents the new owner from seeing your location and prevents you from accidentally tracking their movements. After you remove the device, the new owner can sign in with their own Apple ID and turn on Find My for themselves.

Using Find My to locate a device after you have added it

Once a device is in your Find My network, open the Find My app on any of your other devices. Tap the Devices tab and you will see a list of all devices on your account. Tap the device you want to locate and a map appears showing its current location. A green dot means the device is online and the location is current. A gray dot means the device is offline and the location is the last place it was seen.

If the device is nearby, you can tap Play Sound to make it emit a loud tone so you can find it by ear. If the device is lost or stolen, you can tap Lost Mode to lock it remotely and display a message on the screen with your phone number. Lost Mode also stops location sharing and prevents anyone else from using the device until you unlock it with your Apple ID password.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need cellular service on a device for Find My to work?

No. A device can be located through Wi-Fi alone. If the device has Wi-Fi turned on and is connected to a network, Find My will show its location even if it has no cellular service. However, a device with no network connection at all will only show its last known location until it comes back online.

Can I add a device to Find My without the device owner knowing?

No. The device owner must turn on Find My themselves in their own Settings. You cannot enable Find My on someone else's device remotely. If you want to track a family member's device, they must set up Family Sharing with you and have Find My turned on.

What if I add a device but then it gets stolen?

Open Find My, tap the device, and tap Lost Mode. This locks the device remotely and displays a message with your phone number on the screen. The device cannot be used until someone enters your Apple ID password. You can also erase the device remotely if you want to wipe all your data from it.

Will adding a device to Find My drain its battery?

Find My uses very little battery because it relies on existing location services that your device is already using. The impact is minimal — usually less than one percent per hour. If you notice unusual battery drain after turning on Find My, the problem is likely something else, such as a background app or a failing battery.

Can I see the location history of a device, or only its current location?

Find My shows only the current location of a device, not a history of where it has been. If you need location history, you can turn on Location History in the Maps app or use a third-party tracking app that stores historical data.