Use Find My iPhone to locate your device on a map
If your iPhone is lost or stolen, Find My iPhone is the fastest way to see where it is. This feature works even if your phone is locked, off, or in airplane mode — as long as it was turned on at some point and connected to the internet before it went missing.
Go to iCloud.com on any computer or another Apple device and sign in with your Apple ID. Click Find My iPhone (or just Find My if you're using a newer Mac). A map will appear showing the location of all your devices. Tap or click your iPhone's name to see its exact location, how much battery it has left, and when it was last seen online.
If your phone is nearby and powered on, you can play a sound to help you locate it — even if it's on silent. The sound will play at full volume for two minutes, which often helps you find it in a couch cushion, under a car seat, or in a bag you haven't checked yet.
Key Takeaways
- Find My iPhone shows your device's location on a map through iCloud.com or another Apple device, even if the phone is locked or offline.
- You can play a loud sound on your iPhone for two minutes to help locate it physically, regardless of whether it's on silent mode.
- If you believe your phone was stolen, you can remotely lock it or erase it to protect your data before someone accesses your accounts.
- Find My iPhone only works if location services were turned on before the phone went missing and the device can connect to the internet.
- If your phone is truly gone and you can't recover it, contact your carrier and your bank to report the loss and watch for unauthorized charges.
Lock your iPhone remotely if you think it's stolen
If you believe someone else has your phone, locking it remotely prevents them from accessing your email, banking apps, photos, and other personal information. From iCloud.com or another Apple device, select your iPhone and choose Lost Mode.
Lost Mode will lock your phone with a passcode that only you know. The screen will display a message and phone number so that if someone finds your phone, they can contact you. Your phone will still show its location on the map, and you'll receive notifications if it moves or connects to the internet.
Lost Mode also disables Apple Pay, so no one can use your phone to make purchases. Your phone will continue to receive calls and texts, but the person holding it won't be able to access anything else without your passcode.
Erase your iPhone if you can't recover it
If your phone has been missing for days and you're certain it won't be recovered, you can erase all the data on it remotely. This is a last resort — once you erase your phone, you won't be able to locate it anymore, and you can't undo the action.
From iCloud.com, select your iPhone and choose Erase iPhone. All your photos, messages, contacts, and apps will be permanently deleted. Your phone will restart and return to factory settings, which means it will be useless to anyone who finds it.
Before you erase, make sure you have a backup of your data. If you've been using iCloud backup, your photos, messages, and other information are already saved and you can restore them to a new phone later.
What to do if Find My iPhone shows no location
If the map shows "Location Not Available" or your phone hasn't appeared at all, it usually means your phone is powered off, has no internet connection, or location services were turned off before it went missing. In this case, you won't be able to see where it is until it connects to the internet again.
You can still use Lost Mode to lock the phone and display a message. If your phone turns back on and connects to WiFi or cellular data, you'll get a notification and the location will appear on the map. Some people have recovered phones days or weeks later this way.
If your phone never appears on the map and you've waited several days, it's likely the battery is dead or the phone was powered off intentionally. At that point, contact your carrier to report the phone as lost or stolen, and ask them to deactivate the SIM card so no one can use it to make calls or send texts on your account.
Contact your carrier and financial institutions
Once you've reported your phone as lost in Find My iPhone, contact your wireless carrier (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or whoever provides your service). Tell them your phone is missing and ask them to suspend service on that phone number. This prevents someone from using your phone to make calls or texts that you'll be billed for.
Your carrier can also help you get a replacement SIM card for a new phone so you can keep your phone number. They may charge a fee, usually between $15 and $35, depending on your plan.
If you use your iPhone to access banking apps, email, or shopping accounts, contact your bank and any services where you've saved payment information. Let them know your phone was lost and watch your accounts for unauthorized charges. Many banks will temporarily freeze your accounts or issue you a new debit or credit card as a precaution.
Set up Find My iPhone on your replacement phone
Once you get a new iPhone, turn on Find My iPhone when ready so you're protected if it goes missing too. During setup, you'll be asked whether you want to turn on Find My iPhone — select Yes. This requires you to sign in with your Apple ID.
If you skipped this step during setup, you can turn it on later by going to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My > Find My iPhone and toggling it on. Make sure location services are also turned on in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
Consider also turning on Find My Network, which lets other Apple devices help locate your phone even if it's offline. This feature uses Bluetooth to communicate with nearby Apple devices and send location data back to you, which can help you find your phone even in areas without WiFi or cellular coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find my iPhone if it's turned off?
Not when ready. However, if your phone turns back on and connects to the internet, its location will appear on the map and you'll get a notification. Find My iPhone can locate a powered-off phone only if it was on and connected to the internet before it was turned off.
What if someone else has my iPhone and they know my Apple ID password?
If they know your password, they can remove your phone from Find My iPhone and erase it themselves. To prevent this, enable two-factor authentication on your Apple ID in Settings > [Your Name] > Password & Security. This makes it much harder for someone to access your account without your permission.
Does Find My iPhone work if the phone is in airplane mode?
No. Airplane mode turns off all wireless connections, so your phone can't send its location to Apple's servers. However, if someone turns airplane mode off, the location will appear on the map again.
Can I see my iPhone's location history, or just its current location?
Find My iPhone shows only the current location and the last time your phone was seen online. It does not keep a history of everywhere your phone has been. If you need location history for another reason, you can check your Google Timeline or Apple Maps history on your devices.
What happens to my data if I erase my iPhone remotely?
All data on the phone is permanently deleted — photos, messages, contacts, apps, and everything else. However, if you've been using iCloud backup, your data is saved in the cloud and you can restore it to a new phone. Check your iCloud settings to confirm backup was turned on before your phone went missing.