my iphone

How to use Find my iPhone

 

Step 1: Check the requirements. Although optimized for the iPhone 5, Find my iPhone is available on all devices equipped with iOS 5 or later. The utility is completely free and compatible beginning with the iPhone 3GS, third-generation iPod touch, the iPad, and all the latest versions thereof. A valid iCloud account is also required and devices that lack network coverage must be connected to a registered Wi-Fi network to be located.
Step 2: Download and install the app: Tap the blue App Store icon located on your iOS device, search “Find my iPhone” within the Search panel and select application from the list of results. Afterward, tap the gray Free button in the top-right corner and followed by the resulting green Install button to download and install the app. Alternatively, download the app from iTunes and sync it with your iOS device.
Step 3: Activate Find my iPhone. Once installed, tap the main Settings icon, followed the iCloud option near the center of the Settings menu. Enter your Apple ID in the resulting pop-up window if prompted, or tap Get a free Apple ID and follow the onscreen instructions to set up your free iCloud account. Swipe to the bottom of the menu once signed in, toggle the on-off switch to the right of Find my iPhone and tap the gray Allow button from the resulting pop-up window. Repeat the process using the same iCloud account information for any iOS device you wish to view.
Step 4: Lose your iOS device. Obviously this doesn’t come highly recommended, but finding your iOS device once lost is likely the reason you chose to use the app in the first place.
Step 5: Locate your iOS device. Once lost, you can either use another iOS device or your iCloud account via the Web to locate your lost or stolen device. Keep in mind it’s not possible to locate the device if didn’t activate the Find my iPhone function before losing your device.
Using another iOS device: Tap the Find my iPhone icon from the home screen (the icon resembles a old-school radar display), enter your iCloud login credentials in the appropriate fields and tap the gray Sign In button located at the bottom of the display. Once logged in, select the lost or stolen device from a the list of devices setup with Find my iPhone and view the device’s location.
Additional options for remotely wiping the phone and forcing it to play a sound — accessible by tapping the device’s pin followed by the blue arrow — are also available, along with a intuitive Lost Mode that provides options for locking the device with a 4-digit passcode and displaying a contact phone number directly on the lock screen.
Using your iCloud account on the Web: Open your favorite browser and navigate to the iCloud homepage before signing in with your Apple ID and password. Afterword, click the large Find my iPhone icon, enter your iCloud password once more and select the lost or stolen device from a the list of devices setup with Find my iPhone.
Additional options for remotely wiping the phone and forcing it to play a sound should appear in the upper-right corner, along with a intuitive Lost Mode button that provides options for locking the device with a 4-digit passcode and displaying a contact phone number directly on the lock screen.
Step 6: Take action. Once you locate your iPhone or iOS device, use one of Find my iPhone’s built-in functions to help recover the device. Tap the gray Play Sound button featuring the speaker to force the your phone to play a high-pitched ping continuously for two minutes or tap the gray Erase iPhone button followed by the Erase confirmation to completely wipe your device of all content and user settings. If running iOS 6, tap the middle Lost Mode button, enter a phone number where you can be reached and type a message to be shown on your phone. Click the brown Done button in the upper-right corner when finished entering your message in the text field.
There’s no guarantee the ringing, erasing or messaging will help you get your device back — regardless if you know it’s precise whereabouts. Rather than confront the potential thief yourself, it may be wise to contact your service provider and the police, informing them of the situation and your intentions to recover the device. You never know when things might escalate like they did in San Francisco.