Apple has given Find My Network the ability to follow a missing iPhone even when it is switched off, factory reset, or placed in power reserve mode, making it a living nightmare for thieves who turn off an iPhone to prevent it from being located. How does this new iOS 15 function operate, and perhaps more significantly, how can you locate a missing iPhone even if it has been turned off or erased? In this practical guide, we will talk about it.
Find Your Lost iPhone Even If It s Powered off or Factory Reset
In order to determine how this brand-new Find My security feature in iOS 15 functions and whether or not your iPhone can handle it, it would be preferable to delve a bit deeper into the facts. Next, we’ll look at how to locate a missing iPhone.
How is Find My Network Able to Track an iPhone Even When It s Turned off?
It appears that the iPhone doesn’t shut off fully in order to stay trackable. Instead, it stays in a low-power mode, allowing iOS devices in the area to connect to the Bluetooth signal and share the device’s position. This means that even if your iPhone runs out of battery, you will still be able to locate it. Better yet, location tracking will continue to function even after the iPhone has been reset to factory defaults.
The first time your iPhone runs out of juice after updating to iOS 15, an alert stating “iPhone Remains Findable After Power Off” will appear. Even in battery reserve mode or when it is turned off, Find My enables you to find this iPhone when it has been lost or stolen. By heading to Find My under Settings, you can modify this Find My network capability.
The notification makes it very clear that Apple has finally given Find My the tools it needs to combat theft.
iPhone Models That Support Find My When Turned Off
Only a few iPhone models offer the Find My tracking capability, as is the case with the majority of high-end capabilities. These consist of:
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11
Because the Find My tracking feature employs Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology, which is a part of Apple’s U1 processor, earlier iPhones like the iPhone Xs or iPhone SE 2 have been excluded. Older iPhone models cannot use the Find My tracking feature since only the iPhone 11 and newer devices (except the iPhone SE 2) have the U1 chip.
Even though the Apple Watch Series 6 has an U1 chip, as of right now, it is unable to use Find My while it is off. Perhaps Apple wants to keep this functionality confined to the iPhone, or perhaps the tech giant intends to introduce it as the upcoming major watchOS feature at WWDC 2022. Nobody, outside Apple, is aware of the precise reason why the Apple Watch 6 with all of its accessories does not support this important Find My security feature.
Remember that even if your iPad or iPhone is offline and you have an earlier model, iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 may still allow you to use Find My. When you turn off your incompatible device, the feature will stop functioning.
Enable Find My iPhone and Find My Network from Settings
Now that you are aware of how this security feature operates, let’s look at how to activate it. Before you start looking for your lost iPhone, check to see if Find My iPhone and Find My network are turned on on your iOS device.
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Click your profile at the top.
3. After that, click Find My and then Find My iPhone.
4. Lastly, make sure Find My iPhone and Find My Network toggles are set on.
Method 1: Use Find My App to Track Your Lost iPhone
Use the Find My app to look up your misplaced iPhone as usual. The only significant modification is the ability to follow your iPhone even while it is off or wiped.
- Open the Find My app on your iPhone and tap the Devices tab at the bottom.
2. Next, decide which device’s location you want to view. The Find My network will now provide your device’s current location.
Method 2: Use Your Friend s iPhone to Find Your Lost iPhone Even When It s Turned Off/ Erased
What if you don’t have access to a MacBook or another iPhone to locate the misplaced device? Do not worry; you can also find your missing iOS device by using the iPhone of a buddy.
- Open the Find My app on your friend s iPhone and go to the Me tab.
2. Next, click the Help a Friendlink by scrolling down. After that, use your Apple ID and password to get into your iCloud account. Select the missing iPhone you want to track after logging into your account to learn where it is right now.
Method 3: Use iCloud to Find Your Lost iPhone Even When It s Powered Off/ Factory Reset
Even if your missing iPhone has been turned off or does not have enough battery life, you can still utilise the iCloud website to find it. Follow these simple instructions to complete the process:
- Open a browser and head over to icloud.com.
- Now, sign in to your account and click on Find iPhone .
2. To continue, you could be prompted for your Apple ID password once more.
3. The current position of your stolen iPhone should be shown on the next page.
Track Your iPhone s Location Even If It s Powered Off or Factory Reset
That’s pretty much it, then! So now you know how to locate a missing iPhone even after it has been turned off or wiped. Even though Find My has always been useful, it has never appeared to be as effective in preventing smartphone theft. Finding a misplaced iPhone may benefit from the capability of allowing users to follow the location even when their device is off or has been reset. But more crucially, it will significantly lessen iPhone theft. Having said that, we also advise you to examine other fresh privacy-focused improvements in iOS 15. It includes Private Relay as part of the new iCloud+subscription, the new Mail Privacy Protection function, and more. Additionally, please let us know in the comments section below if you have any questions.