How to Turn Off Find My iPhone

Apple’s Find My is a great feature that makes it easier to locate your lost or misplaced devices, giving you a peace of mind. You can use it to track your iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, and other devices associated with your Apple ID. That said, there can be instances when you want to turn off Find My iPhone, so one can track you. Like when you sell or donate your iPhone, trade in an older iPhone to buy a new one, or send your device for repair. If you’re confused about when and how to do it, this article will help you understand all the ways you can turn off Find My iPhone.

How to Turn Off Find My on iPhone

If you’re planning to sell or give away your older iPhone, you should turn off Find My iPhone. This will remove your device from the list of devices associated with your Apple ID account and prevent the new iPhone owner from accessing your location and other information.

Note:

Since iOS 17.3, Apple has enabled Stolen Device Protection on iPhones, which prevents you from disabling Find My iPhone without deactivating it. If you’re sure about turning off Find My, then make sure you have disabled Stolen Device Protection before proceeding with the following steps.

The best way to disable it is from an iPhone itself. It will only disable this feature without erasing anything from the device. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap on Your Name from the top.
2. Now, navigate to Find My and tap on Find My iPhone.

3. Here, turn off the Find My iPhone toggle. Additionally, you can also choose to turn off Find My Network and Send Last Location.
4. Next up, enter your Apple ID Password and tap on Turn Off from the top right. In case you don’t remember the password, here’s how to reset your Apple ID password.

And that’s it. Find My iPhone should now be disabled on your phone.

How to Disable Find My iPhone From Another Apple Device

If you’ve already sold your iPhone or can’t use it because the display is broken, you can turn off Find My iPhone from another Apple device. Specifically speaking, you can use another iPhone, iPad, or Mac where you’ve signed in with your Apple ID.

However, there’s a caveat. When you use any other device to turn off Find My, it will wipe everything from your device. So, you should follow this method only if you’ve backed up your important data or have lost your iPhone and there’s no way of getting it back.

Note:

This will completely erase your iPhone. So, make sure to back up your iPhone data beforehand.

Here’s how to remotely turn off Find My iPhone without your phone.

1. Open the Find My app on your iPhone where you’ve signed in with the same Apple ID.
2. Go to the Devices tab and select iPhone for which you want to disable Find My.
3. If you’re using a Mac, click on your iPhone’s location. You can skip this step if you’re on an iPhone or iPad.
4. Swipe up and tap on Erase This Device.

5. On the next screen, tap on Continue at the bottom.
6. Next up, hit Erase from the top right.
7. Here, enter your Apple ID password and tap on Erase.

How to Turn Off Find My iPhone on a Desktop

In case you neither have your older iPhone nor another iPhone/iPad that’s signed in to your same Apple iCloud account, you can turn off Find My using any MacBook, Windows laptop, or PC. Bear in mind, that this method will also wipe off everything on your iPhone. So, make sure you’ve got a backup to restore your iPhone data on purpose. Otherwise, you’ll lose all the data. Here’s how to disable Find My iPhone from iCloud using a laptop or computer:

1. Open iCloud.com on any web browser and hit the Sign In button.
2. Enter your Apple ID credentials.
3. Scroll down, click on Find My.

4. From the list of devices, choose your iPhone.

5. Now, click on Erase This Device.

What Happens When You Disable Find My on iOS?

Find My iPhone helps you locate a lost or stolen device. When enabled, this feature lets you track the location of your device on a map, play a sound, and help you get it back. It also includes an Activation Lock that prevents anyone from using your iPhone. When you turn off Find My iPhone, you lose all these capabilities, which can make it difficult to recover your lost Apple device.

While Find My is supremely useful, you should disable it when you want to sell, donate, trade in your phone, or want to send it for battery replacement or any other service. Doing this will ensure that no one can access information about you.

So, those were the three methods to turn off Find My iPhone. If you’re selling or donating your iPhone, you should disable Find My so no one can track you. While it’s a straightforward affair, remember to back up your important data when you use another device or a computer to disable Find My. Otherwise, you will end up losing everything. In case you have any doubts, you can always reach out to us in the comments below.