Typically, people want to make sure their iPhones and other Apple devices do the same extremely easy to find if they ever get misplaced.
However, the Find My iPhone feature isn’t always suitable for everyone, and you may want to turn it off.
With Find My iPhone, Apple helps you find your lost or misplaced phone, even when the device is offline. (Huge!) By accessing Find My in Settings, through the Find My app, or through Find My on iCloud.com, you can easily find your lost or misplaced devices and share locations with friends and family split.
There are clear advantages to using the technologically advanced feature. However, if you are concerned about privacy and location sharing, want to get rid of your phone, or want to disable the feature for any reason, you can easily turn it off. As Apple notes, keep in mind that if Find My iPhone is turned off, you will no longer be able to find, lock, or erase your device.
If you’ve made up your mind and want to temporarily (or permanently) turn off Find My iPhone, here’s how to do it.
1. Search for “Find My” in your phone’s settings.
Before you can turn off Find My iPhone, you must locate Find My iPhone on your phone. You can do this by going to Settings, clicking on your name, and selecting the “Find My” option.
Click, click, click.
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2. Click “Find My iPhone” to disable individual features
Once you select “Find My,” you have the option to disable “Find My iPhone” and “Find My Network” by toggling the corresponding switches from green to gray. Gray means you have disabled Find My features.
If you’re still curious, you can learn more about Find My iPhone and the privacy benefits it offers by clicking the blue link “About Find My iPhone and Privacy…” under Find My iPhone.
Destructible speed of light
If you’ve decided you want to turn off Find My iPhone, after tapping the switch you’ll be asked to enter your Apple ID password for security reasons. Before you can turn off Find My Network, you’ll also be asked if you really want to lose the ability to find your device when it’s not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular. From there, you should have successfully disabled the selected Find My features.
How to Find My
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This disabling method should work on any device running iOS 13 or later. However, if your device uses iOS 12 or earlier, go to Settings, click your name, then select iCloud. There you can turn off Find My after entering your Apple ID password.
3. Disable Find My by turning off iCloud
Another way to disable Find My is to disable iCloud. You can do this by going to Settings, clicking on your name, and selecting “iCloud.” Then toggle the switches for all iCloud features from On (green) to Off (gray). This method disables Find My features in one fell swoop by disabling all iCloud features.
Disable iCloud settings individually.
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4. Permanently disable Find My for a device
Let’s say you bought a new phone, traded in your old one, or gave it to a friend. Whatever the scenario, the point is that you no longer have to keep track of that particular device. In this case, you should disable Find My and remove the phone from your device list. (In this case, Activation Lock will also be disabled.)
If you want to permanently disable Find My for your phone, you can go to iCloud.com and remove it using your account. You can also search for the app by typing “Find My” in your phone’s search bar. Select the app, click Devices, tap the device you want to remove, and click Delete This Device. Then say goodbye to your old friend.
Time to open the Find My app
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5. Turn off Find My on an iPad, iPod Touch, Apple Watch, Mac, AirPods, or Beats product
If you’re reading this article, you’re probably looking for ways to disable Find My on an iPhone, but have you thought about disabling the feature on your other devices too? Here’s an overview of how to turn off Find My on your iPad, iPod Touch, Apple Watch, Mac, AirPods, or Beats product:
Disable Find My on an iPad or iPod Touch
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If you ever want to turn off Find My on an iPad or iPod Touch, we have great news: the instructions are the same as for the iPhone, so you’re already a pro.
How to disable Find My on a Mac
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To disable Find My on your Mac, you’ll need to navigate to the trusty Apple menu in the top left corner of your screen. If you have macOS 10.15 or later, choose System Preferences, click your Apple ID, select iCloud, and turn off Find My Mac. (If you have macOS 10.14 or earlier, just click iCloud and then turn off Find My Mac.)
Apple has more information about turning off Find My on devices like an Apple Watch, AirPods, and Beats products.