What to Do If Your Device Doesn't Show Up in Find My iPhone (2024)

If you’ve ever lost your iPhone or iPad, you probably know how incredibly useful the native Find My app (previously called Find My iPhone) can be.

You can “ping” your device if it’s simply misplaced around the house. But the app has other features that come in handy if you actually lose your device when out and about — including accurate location tracking, a “Lost Mode,” and a remote data wipe feature.

But, of course, Find My is only useful if you have it enabled and it’s working properly.

Read on to find out what to do if it isn’t.

Related Reading

• Use the Find My app on Mac to find your friends and devices
• Where is Find My Friends and how do I use it in iOS 13 or iPadOS?
• Complete guide to the new Find My App to track your Apple devices and more
• How the new Find My app privately locates your offline devices
• How to Configure Find My iPhone: iCloud
• So you found a lost iPhone, Now what?
• Misplace your iPhone? Siri on HomePod will help you find it
• I Lost My AirPods! How To Find Your Lost AirPods or AirPod Case
• Secure Your Find my iPhone Feature, How to

What’s the Difference Between the Find My and Find My iPhone App

Apple introduced the Find My app with iPadOS and iOS 13 and macOS Catalina. Find my includes both Find My iPhone and Find My Friends–in one combined app.

In earlier iOS versions (12 and below) Apple offered two different apps for finding devices and finding friends.

Both Find My apps useBluetooth from nearby Apple devices to locate missing or lost devices.

What If You Don’t Have The Device?

Unfortunately, none of the steps below work if you don’t have physical access to your device.

If your device is lost or stolen and not showing up on Find My, its battery may be dead or it may have been intentionally powered off. Alternatively, Find My iPhone could be disabled.

The Best You Can Hope for Is to Activate Lost Mode

If the device reconnects to the internet, it displays a Lost iPhone message which you can tailor with a contact number or other information.

If you’re particularly concerned, you can also remotely wipe your data. But, again, the device will need to be connected to the internet for that to work.

But, Truthfully, There Aren’t Many Options Left

You should file a report with your local authorities, spread the word around social media, and hope for the best. (Police may ask for the serial number of your device — find out how to find it here.)

Because of this, it’s strongly recommended that you get Find My Device’s list fixed as soon as you notice a problem with the feature on a device.

My iPhone, iPad, or iPod Isn’t Showing Up on Find My or Find My iPhone

With the bad news out of the way, if you do have access to your iPhone and you notice that it isn’t showing up in the Find My or Find My iPhone app, you can take steps to fix it.

Sign Into iCloud

First off, if you have access to the lost smartphone, check to see if it’s logged into the proper iCloud account.

Tap Settings and then your Apple ID card. Check to see if the email is the same as the one you’re attempting to use in Find My.

If you tap Settings and see a pop-up that asks you to sign in to your device, enter your Apple ID and password. (If you weren’t signed in, this was the problem.)

Check to See if Find My iPhone Is Enabled

Next, you should check to see if Find My is even enabled. You may have skipped configuring Find My during your device’s setup, or it may have been turned off for some reason.

1. Open theSettingsapp on your iPhone or iPad
2. Tap[Your Name]at the top of the page.
3. In the second section, tapFind My.
   
4. At the top of the page, tapFind My iPhone (iPad).
5. Tap the toggle next to the following options to turn them on:
   • Find My iPhone (iPad)
   • Find My network
   • Send Last Location
6. Tap the< Find Mybutton in the top left corner to return to the previous screen.
7. If you want to share your location with others, tap the toggle next toShare My Location.
8. Tap the< Apple IDbutton in the top left corner.
9. Tap the< Settings button in the top left corner to save your changes.

Turn on Find My for AirPods

1. Make sure your AirPods are connected to your iPhone or iPad.
2. Open theSettingsapp on your iPhone or iPad.
3. TapBluetooth.
4. Tap theMore Infobutton to the right of the name of your AirPods.
5. Scroll down until you seeFind My Network.
6. Tap the toggle next toFind My Networkto theOn position.

Turn on Find My for Apple Watch

Verify You Turned on Location Services

Turn on Location Services on iPhone, iPad, or iPod

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll down and tapPrivacy & Security.
3. At the top of the page, tapLocation Services.
4. Scroll down and tapFind My.
5. Under theAllow Location Accesssection, tapWhile Using the App.
6. Tap the toggle next toPrecise Locationto theOnposition.

Turn on Location Services on Mac

1. Open the System Settings app on your Mac.
2. In the left sidebar, clickPrivacy & Security.
   
3. On the right side of the window, clickLocation Services.
   
4. Click the toggle next toLocation Servicesto theOnposition.
   
5. Scroll to the bottom of the window.
6. Click theDetails…button next toSystem Services.
   
7. Click the toggle next toFind My Macto theOn position.
   
8. Once enabled, click theDonebutton to save your changes.

Enable Cellular Services for Find My on iPhone

1. Open theSettingsapp on your iPhone.
2. TapCellular.
3. Scroll down to theCellular Datasection.
4. TapSort by Name.
5. Scroll through the list until you find theFind Mylisting.
6. Tap the toggle next toFind Myto theOnposition.

Restart Your Device

1. For iPhone X and higher and iPads without a home button, press and hold either volume button and the side or top power button until the power off slider appears. Slide off. Then power back on.
2. For iPhone 8 and below, iPods, and iPads with a home button, press and hold the side or top power button until the power off slider appears. Slide off. Then power back on.

Toggle Airplane Mode on and off

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap the toggle next toAirplane Mode to theOn position.
3. Wait 30 seconds.
4. Tap the toggle again to turn it off.

Alternatively, You can also toggle Airplane mode on and off via Control Center by tapping the Airplane mode icon.

Check Your Device’s Date and Time Settings

For Find My to work correctly, it’s best to set your device to Apple’s Set Automatically feature.

1. Open theSettingsapp on your iPhone or iPad.
2. TapGeneral.
3. Scroll down and tapDate & Time.
4. Tap the toggle next toSet Automaticallyto theOnposition.

Here are the steps you’ll need to take in order to make sure that your Mac’s time and date are set automatically:

1. Open theSystem Settingsapp on your Mac.
2. ClickGeneralin the sidebar on the left.
   
3. On the right side of the window, clickDate & Time.
   
4. Click the toggle next toSet time and date automaticallyto theOnposition.

Check for an Update

1. Open theSettingsapp on your iPhone or iPad.
2. TapGeneral.
3. TapSoftware Update.
4. Wait for your iPhone or iPad to communicate with Apple’s servers and check for an update.
5. If an update is available, click the Download and Install button.
6. After the update is finished downloading, tap theUpdate NoworInstall Nowbutton.

Device Shows Up, But is Offline

In other cases, your device may actually be listed in Find My iPhone — but the platform will say that it’s “offline.”

If you have the device with it and it’s clearly powered on and connected to the internet, it’s probably a cellular settings issue.

Make Sure Your Device Can Access the Internet

If your device is “offline,” you should first check to see if your device has an internet connection.

Macs, Apple Watches and certain iPads only show up on Find My if they are currently connected to a Wi-Fi network.

On the other hand, iPhones and cellular-enabled iPads should show up in Find My iPhone if you enabled it.

If you have access to the device, check to see if there are any signal bars or dots in the upper-left hand corner. If it says “No Service,” then go to Settings > Cellular and make sure that Cellular Data is on.

Make Sure Cellular Is Enabled for Find My iPhone

In a recent case that the writer of this article experienced, Cellular Data was somehow disabled for Find My iPhone. It may have been inadvertent or some sort of software bug. But, thankfully, this is easily fixable.

1. Open theSettingsapp on your iPhone.
2. TapCellular.
3. Scroll down to theCellular Datasection.
4. TapSort by Name.
5. Scroll through the list until you find theFind Mylisting.
6. Tap the toggle next toFind Myto theOnposition.

Toggle Location Services off and on

1. Open theSettingsapp on your iPhone or iPad
2. Tap[Your Name]at the top of the page.
3. In the second section, tapFind My.
   
4. At the top of the page, tapFind My iPhone (iPad).
5. Tap the toggle next to the following options to turn them off:
   • Find My iPhone (iPad)
   • Find My network
   • Send Last Location
6. Tap the< Find Mybutton in the top left corner to return to the previous screen.
7. Tap the toggle next to Share My Location.
   
8. Tap the< Apple IDbutton in the top left corner.
9. Tap the< Settingsbutton in the top left corner.
10. Scroll down and tapPrivacy & Security.
11. At the top of the page, tapLocation Services.
    
12. Scroll down and tapFind My.
13. Under theAllow Location Accesssection, tapWhile Using the App.
14. Tap the toggle next toPrecise Locationto theOffposition.

If that doesn’t fix it, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Find My iPhone says a device is “offline” when it’s been 24 hours since a location was sent, the battery has run out, or if cellular data or the device itself is actually powered off.

Additionally, Apple advises that Find My iPhone is not available in some countries — due to local regulations or technical limitations.

What If None of This Works?

If you have your device and none of the above steps remedy any Find My iPhone problems, then there might be a deeper issue.

There could be damage to the device’s antenna array, GPS chip or other components, for example. Presumably, a severely degraded battery could also cause issues.

In any case, it might be worth setting up an appointment at a Genius Bar or with an Apple-authorized service provider. If it’s a hardware issue, they should be able to repair your phone for you.