How to Locate and protect your Apple devices
1 Sign in to iCloud.com
Point your web browser at iCloud.com and sign in. If two‑factor authentication is turned on for your Apple ID and you haven’t registered this browser as trusted, you may have to type in a sixdigit code sent to your trusted devices.
2 Use Find My iPhone
On iCloud.com’s Home screen, click Find My iPhone’s icon. When the web app finishes opening, click All Devices at the top of the screen. From the dropdown list that appears, choose the device that’s been lost or stolen.
3 Make sure it’s really lost
When you’ve clicked on the device, look at the map. If Find My iPhone has located your missing Apple kit and shows it as being at your current location in the last few minutes, try clicking Play Sound to help you locate it.
4 Lost Mode
If you can’t find the device, click Lost Mode or Lock. A device that has a passcode will now be locked. If it doesn’t have a passcode, you’ll need to create one. If it’s a Mac, you’ll need to create a passcode even if it has a password.
5 Enter further info
If the device belongs to a family member, you’ll have to enter their Apple ID. If it’s an iPhone or iPad, you may be asked to enter a contact phone number and message to be displayed on the device’s screen so it can be returned.
6 Monitor tracking
If your device is online, its location is sent to iCloud. If it’s offline, tracking starts when connected. You can monitor this in Find My iPhone. (On iOS devices, check it’s turned on in Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services.)
7 Find My iPhone
You can also use the Find My iPhone app on an iPhone or iPad to track your missing device and turn on Lost Mode. Open Find My iPhone, tap the lost device, then tap Actions and choose either Lost Mode or Lock.
8 Erase your data
If you’re sure your device has been stolen and are worried about someone attempting to access your data, follow the steps above to activate Lost Mode and then click or tap on Erase to wipe your data from the device.
9 Passcode attempts
On your iOS device(s), go to Settings > [Touch ID/Face ID] & Passcode. Scroll down to Erase Data and turn on this feature. Now, if anyone tries to guess your password, they have 10 attempts before the data on your device is wiped.
