Scared of misplacing or losing your device to thieves, Apple has just the right feature to alleviate those fears and that is the “Find My” feature, one you should activate as soon as possible. The Find My feature is a solution by Apple to track any device as long as it was signed into with Apple ID, free of charge. When turned on, the activation lock is then also turned on your device, and this way, your device’s location and that of your friends and family can be viewed on a map and if your device is lost, you may be able to trace it back, turn on lost mode, and erase the device remotely thereby keeping the other person from accessing your data.
With this feature, you get to utilize millions of apple devices and Bluetooth to help you detect and locate your device location to you – be it whether the device was online or not. The system relies on crowdsourcing and end-to-end encryption to keep data of your phone’s location known to you and the same location private if you’re using a device active in the Find My network. The locations are accessible only to the person seeking their lost device and cannot be accessed by third parties… reassuring.
How to activate the “Find My” feature
To set up, sign in to your device with your Apple ID, turn on location sharing and turn on the Find my feature.
How to use
For it to work, the other devices must be registered with Apple ID and also have Find My enabled. To locate it, open the app on your device and choose the devices tab, tap the device’s name, and that way you’ll be able to see its location on a map – even if it’s not connected to a cellular/Wi-Fi network.
If you can’t see the device, mark it as lost. This could be due to Find my not being activated, or more than 7days have passed since the device location was sent to Apple. Mark as lost remotely locks your device (iPhone, iPad, or Mac) with a passcode thereby helping keep your information secure, while you hope someone finds the device and returns it to you.
The Find My feature also works for Airpods and now you can also track them even when they are out of Bluetooth range. It can also be used for third-party devices as long as they’re linked to your Apple ID.