If you lose or misplace your iPhone, finding it is actually pretty easy. Follow these simple steps and you'll be tracking your phone's location in no time, like a true detective.

When you purchase an iPhone, it comes with a built-in feature called Find My iPhone, which allows you to see your device's last known location. The feature works with the Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, and even Apple's AirPods.

Not only can you use the feature to find your lost device, but you can play an audible tone, write a message on the screen, and erase sensitive date. Here's how to use Find My iPhone.

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TURN ON FIND MY IPHONE

The first and most obvious step is to make sure Find My iPhone is turned on on all of your devices. Here's how to do that.

iPhone and iPad set up

  1. Find your Settings app
  2. Tap on your Apple ID
  3. Tap iCloud
  4. Scroll down to Find My iPhone and turn it on

Mac set up

  1. Click on the Apple icon () in the top left corner
  2. Click System Preferences
  3. Click on iCloud
  4. Check the box for Find My Mac

FIND YOUR LOST DEVICE

Once you turn these features on, you can start tracking your devices. You can access Find My iPhone from the Find My iPhone app on your iPhone or iPad or on the web at iCloud.com.

Use Find My iPhone on the web

  1. Go to iCloud.com in your web browser of choice
  2. Log in with your iCloud information
  3. Click on Find iPhone
  4. Enter your Apple ID and password
  5. Click on All Devices at the top
  6. Click on the device you want to track
  7. The map will show you the last known location of your device

From here, you have a few different options for finding your device. If you left it at the gym or something like that, you can make it play a sound so it can easily be found by someone nearby. There's also a lost mode, which will allow you to display a phone number on your device's screen. The third option is to completely erase your device, so nobody will have access to your sensitive information.

Use Find My iPhone on your iPhone or iPad

  1. Launch the Find My iPhone app
  2. Log in with your iCloud ID
  3. Click on the device you want to track
  4. The map will show you the last known location of your device

You'll have access to the same three options as found on the web. You can play a sound, enter lost mode, or erase your device's data if you think your information is at risk.

When you're searching for your devices, a green dot means it's online. A gray dot means the device is offline. If Find My iPhone is unable to locate a device, it'll display the last known location for 24 hours. You can be notified via email once it comes back online.

Losing a device is never fun, and hopefully you'll never have to go through such an ordeal. But in the event that you do misplace one of your Apple devices, Find My iPhone is a great tool for seeing its last known location.