Turn off Find My iPhone in Settings

To turn off Find My iPhone, open Settings on your device, tap your name at the top, then select iCloud. Scroll down and tap Find My, then toggle off Find My iPhone. You will be asked to enter your Apple ID password to confirm — this is a security step Apple requires.

The toggle will turn from green to gray once it is off. Your iPhone will no longer send its location to Apple's servers, and you will not be able to locate the device using Find My iPhone on another Apple device or through iCloud.com.

Key Takeaways

  • Find My iPhone turns off in Settings under your Apple ID name, then iCloud, then Find My.
  • Apple requires your Apple ID password to turn off the feature, even if you are already signed in to the device.
  • Once off, you cannot locate your iPhone remotely using Find My iPhone or iCloud.com.
  • Turning off Find My iPhone does not affect other location services like Maps or weather apps.
  • If you turn it back on later, you will need to enter your password again.

Why you might turn off Find My iPhone

Most people keep Find My iPhone on for security — it lets you locate a lost device, lock it remotely, or erase it if it is stolen. But there are reasons to turn it off temporarily. Some users disable it when troubleshooting connection problems, when they do not want their location tracked by Apple, or when they are selling or giving away their device and want to remove it from their account first.

If you are selling your iPhone, turning off Find My iPhone is an important step before you erase the device. Without doing this, the new owner may not be able to set up the phone with their own Apple ID.

What happens when Find My iPhone is off

When Find My iPhone is off, your device stops reporting its location to Apple. You will not be able to use Find My iPhone on another device to see where your iPhone is. The set up Lock — the security feature that prevents someone else from using your iPhone without your Apple ID password — remains active, but the location tracking component is disabled.

Other location services continue to work normally. Maps will still show your location, weather apps will still know where you are, and apps you have given location permission to will still function. Turning off Find My iPhone only stops Apple from tracking your device's location through its own service.

Turn Find My iPhone back on

To turn Find My iPhone back on, go to Settings, tap your name, select iCloud, tap Find My, and toggle Find My iPhone back on. Enter your Apple ID password again when prompted. The toggle will turn green, and your device will resume sending location data to Apple.

It may take a few moments for your device to appear in Find My after you turn it back on. If it does not show up within a few minutes, check that you are signed in to iCloud and that your device has an active internet connection.

If you forgot your Apple ID password

If you need to turn off Find My iPhone but cannot remember your Apple ID password, you will need to reset it before you can proceed. Go to Settings, tap your name, then tap Password and Security. Select Change Password and follow the prompts to reset it using your recovery email or phone number.

If you do not have access to your recovery email or phone number, you can use Apple's account recovery process at iforgot.apple.com. This process can take several days, so plan ahead if you need to turn off Find My iPhone quickly.

Removing Find My iPhone before selling your device

Before you sell, trade in, or give away your iPhone, turn off Find My iPhone and then erase the device completely. First, turn off Find My iPhone as described above. Then go to Settings, tap General, select Transfer or Reset, and choose Erase All Content and Settings. This removes all your data and account information from the device.

The new owner will then be able to set up the iPhone with their own Apple ID without being blocked by set up Lock. If you skip the step of turning off Find My iPhone first, the device may remain linked to your account even after erasing, which can prevent the new owner from using it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off Find My iPhone affect my other Apple devices?

No. Turning off Find My iPhone on one device does not affect Find My on your iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or AirPods. Each device has its own Find My setting that you control separately.

Can I turn off Find My iPhone remotely if I lose my device?

No. You can only turn off Find My iPhone from the device itself or from iCloud.com if you sign in with your Apple ID. If your device is lost or stolen, you cannot turn off Find My iPhone remotely — but you can use Find My to lock or erase it instead.

Does turning off Find My iPhone remove it from my Apple ID account?

No. The device remains linked to your Apple ID account. Turning off Find My iPhone only disables location tracking. To fully remove the device from your account, you must erase it and sign out of iCloud.

What if Find My iPhone won't turn off?

If the toggle will not move, check that you are signed in to iCloud and that you have an active internet connection. If it still will not work, try signing out of iCloud completely, then signing back in. If the problem continues, restart your iPhone and try again.