The Find My app makes it easy to keep track of your Apple devices. Locate items you’ve attached AirTag to. And keep up with friends and family. It works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac — even if your missing devices are offline. And your privacy is protected every step of the way.

Find your Apple devices.

When your Mac, iOS, or iPadOS devices are near each other, they can automatically pass what you’re doing from one device to another. 3 An icon representing the last app you were using will appear on your second device — in the Dock on your Mac or iPad or in the App Switcher on your iPhone. Just click or tap to pick up right where you left. View the apps using your Apple ID To see a list of the apps that you're currently using with Sign in with Apple and manage your preferences for each one, go to Apple ID settings on your device or sign in to your Apple ID account page. Learn more about Sign in with Apple. On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

You take your devices everywhere. Which means you might leave them anywhere. Whether they’re under a sofa pillow or in a conference room, chances are they won’t be lost for long. You can get help finding your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac, AirPods, or AirTag right in the Find My app.

See all your devices on a map.

Is your iPad at home or back at the office? Use the map to get a full picture of where your devices are — and where a missing one might be. Some devices can also mark their location when the battery is critically low, to help you find them even if they run out of power.

Compatible with

• iPhone
• iPad
• iPod touch
• Apple Watch
• Mac
• AirPods
• AirTag

Compatible with

• iPhone
• iPad
• iPod touch
• Apple Watch
• Mac
• AirPods
• AirTag

Play a sound to
find your device.

When you can’t find something but think it’s nearby or around others who might hear it, you can play a sound to pinpoint its location. Your AirPods play a specifically designed sound that can project across a room — and even farther.

Compatible with

• iPhone
• iPad
• iPod touch
• Apple Watch
• Mac
• AirPods
• AirTag

Compatible with

• iPhone
• iPad
• iPod touch
• Apple Watch
• Mac
• AirPods
• AirTag

Display a message for someone who finds it.

If your device or AirTag goes missing, you can put it in Lost Mode. That starts tracking its location, sends you a notification when it pings the network, and sets your passcode to protect your data. You can also let people know how to reach you. They can simply view your message on your device’s Lock Screen, or tap your AirTag with their smartphone to get your contact number.¹

Compatible with

• iPhone
• iPad
• iPod touch
• Apple Watch
• Mac
• AirTag

Compatible with

• iPhone
• iPad
• iPod touch
• Apple Watch
• Mac
• AirTag

Erase it with ease.

Worried that your device has fallen into the wrong hands? You may want to erase it remotely to delete your personal data and reset your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, or Mac. If you retrieve it, you can restore your data from your iCloud backup.

Compatible with

• iPhone
• iPad
• iPod touch
• Apple Watch
• Mac

Lock it down. Automatically.

Activation Lock is designed to prevent anyone else from using or selling your device.¹ When you enable Find My on your device, Activation Lock is turned on automatically. Your Apple ID and password will then be required in order to erase or reactivate your device.

You can even find devices that are offline.

If your missing device can’t connect to the internet, the Find My app can still help you track it down using the Find My network — hundreds of millions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices around the world. Nearby devices securely send the location of your missing device to iCloud, then you can see where it is in the Find My app. It’s all anonymous and encrypted to protect everyone’s privacy.

AirTag can help you find just about anything.

Misplaced your keys? Forgot your purse? If they have AirTag attached, they won’t be lost for long. The Find My network can help you track down items on a map. You can play a sound on your AirTag to find something hiding nearby — you can even get the distance and direction to your AirTag with Precision Finding.²

Find your friends.

Invite friends and family members to share their locations. So you can keep in touch with one another, coordinate around an event, or know when a family member has arrived home safely.

See where everyone is on a map.

When you share your location with friends, it’s easier for you to find each other and stay connected. Share your location for an hour, a day, or indefinitely — it’s up to you.

Know when they leave. Know when they arrive.

If you like, you can get notifications when your child arrives at school or a family member leaves work. Notifications are easy to set up, and each person gets the choice to opt in. So everyone’s privacy is respected.

What else can Find My find?

Find My technology can now be built into all kinds of things — like bikes, headphones, and more. So anything that works with Find My can be added right next to all your Apple stuff in the Find My app.

Everyone’s location data stays private.

Just like every Apple product, Find My is designed to put you in control of your data. Location information is only sent to Apple when you actively locate your device, mark it as lost, or enable Send Last Location. Data is encrypted on Apple’s servers and kept for no more than 24 hours. And when the Find My network is used, everyone’s information is kept private — even from Apple.

Resources

How to
share locations with friends and family

If you have an iPhone, you may be familiar with Sign In with Apple -- a privacy tool that gives iOS users more security when using third-party apps and websites with their Apple ID. Instead of signing in with Facebook, Google or making a brand new account, you can choose the Sign In with Apple option to use your Apple ID to verify your credentials. It's not a bad idea to figure this out now, ahead of Apple's WWDC 2021, when we're likely to see some new Apple products.

Sign In with Apple was introduced back at WWDC 2019, at a moment when privacy had become a hot-button political issue with multiple companies like Facebook and Quest Diagnostics taking center stage in security debates. The feature signaled the tech giant's commitment to privacy that the company has long made a mantra. Since then, Apple has added more privacy controls to iOS, including the ability to stop apps from tracking you across websites, and 'nutrition labels' that let you see what information apps collect before you download.

If you haven't tried Sign In with Apple, here's everything you need to know about how it works and how to use it. Plus, here's how to check your iPhone's privacy settings in two easy steps, and 9 rules for strong passwords.

How to use Sign In with Apple

1. When you open an app or website -- if it supports Sign In with Apple -- simply tap Continue with Apple.

2. Accept or deny any permissions the app asks for.

3. Follow the onscreen prompts regarding your Apple ID. You can choose to edit your name, share or hide your email. Choose Continue.

4. Enter your passcode when prompted. You can also confirm with Face ID or Touch ID. If you don't have any of the three, you can use your Apple ID password.

As long as you're signed in on your device, you'll be signed into the app. To sign out, just locate the settings in the app or website and choose Sign Out. You'll need to repeat the process if you want to sign back in.

How does Sign In with Apple Work?

Sign In with Apple uses your iOS device to verify your credentials, instead of your social account logins, which could make you vulnerable to being tracked online. With the Hide My Email option, Apple creates a random email address -- you'll recognize it by the unique alphanumeric string followed by @privaterelay.appleid.com.

The random email address can only be used for one specific app. The app or website will use the generated email, but Apple will forward any correspondence to your real email, protecting your identity. You can reply to whichever emails you like without exposing your personal email address. Apple lets you turn off the email forwarding feature at any time as well.

Install Iphone Apps On Mac

Sign In with Apple says it won't use any of your information aside from what's required to let you sign in and out of an account. The tool also employs two-factor authentication with Face ID or Touch ID. If you don't see the Sign In option, that means the app or website doesn't support it yet.

Read more:Dumping passwords can improve your security -- really

Can I see the apps that use Sign In with Apple?

Yes. Here's how:

1. Open the Settings app iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, and tap your name.

2. Tap Passwords and Security

3. Choose Apps Using Your Apple ID.

Can I Run Ios Apps On My Mac

From there -- if you've used Sign In -- you should see a list of apps. You can tap through each app and see what (or change) the preferences you put in place, as well as read the app or website's privacy policy. You can also toggle off email forwarding here as well as stop using your Apple ID with the app.

1. Here's how to do it on Mac:

2. Choose the Apple menu.

Can I Run Iphone Apps On My Mac

3. Open System Preferences.

4. Click Edit.

And how to do it from a web browser:

1. Sign in to appleid.apple.com.

2. Find the Security section.

3. Select Manage Apps and Websites under Sign In with Apple.

4. Choose Manage.

Read more:Three old password rules that turned out to be dumb today

Can I change my forwarding email address?

Yes. If you use Hide My Email and need to make some changes, here's how on mobile:

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap your name

3. Tap Name, Phone Numbers, Email.

4. Tap Forward to under Hide My Email.

5. Choose a new email address to use in forwarding.

The new address you enter will apply across all the apps you're using Sign In's Hide My Email feature with.

How is Sign In with Apple different from signing in with Facebook or Google?

Sign In with Apple is visually similar to the icons that let you sign into an app or website with Google or Facebook. While signing in with Facebook or Google might seem easier, a lot of your personal information is attached to those accounts, like nicknames, your hometown and your birthday. This data might seem trite at face value, but some of that information is prime security question fodder for your bank account, for example.

Sign In with Apple also gives you more control over the permissions apps and websites have access to. You can pick and choose which apps have to ask your permission each time it requests your location data from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It's handy if you're trying out a new app or you don't plan on using an app often, for example.

For more, check out how to stop your iPhone apps from tracking you, and the best iPhone VPNs of 2021.