find my app iconFollowing the release of iOS 13.1 and iPadOS 13.1, Apple now allows anyone with an Apple ID to use the Find My app on another person's iPhone or iPad to locate their own device if it's gone missing.

For those unfamiliar with the app, ‌Find My‌ replaces the ‌Find My‌ Friends and the ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ apps of old and brings their features together in a unified interface that allows you to find whatever it is you need.

By signing into ‌Find My‌ as a guest on a friend's device, you can use it to locate your lost device using the same functions that would be available to you if it was your own ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌. Here's how it works.

  1. Launch the Find My app on your friend's iOS device.
  2. Tap the Me tab, if it isn't already selected.
    how to let a friend sign in to find my app ios

  3. With your finger on the pill-shaped drag handle, bring the Me tab up over the map to reveal the additional options.
  4. Tap Help a Friend at the bottom.
  5. Once the iCloud.com page has loaded, sign into your iCloud account using your ‌Apple ID‌ and password.

After logging in, you'll be presented with a map and a list of all the devices that are signed into your ‌iCloud‌ account. You can also tap the arrow icon in the top-right corner of the screen to center the map on the currently selected device.

how to let a friend sign in to find my app
Scroll up on the devices below the map to see the full list and find the device you're looking for. Note that the line below each device tells you its last known location, while a padlock on a device's icon indicates that it's lost and has been manually locked. If you tap a device in the list, you'll gain access to additional device options.

The options available to you will depend on the type of device you're trying to locate, but you should always have the option to play a sound to locate a nearby device as long as it's powered on and within range.

If it's a Mac, iOS device or Apple Watch you're trying to locate, you can put it into Lost Mode (this ensures your passcode is required on the device before anyone can turn off ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ or erase it) or remotely erase it.

If the selected device is out of range of network coverage or powered off, you can tap Notify When Found, and Apple will email you when the device is located. Any other options you choose in the device actions menu (Erase iPad, for example) will be performed the next time the device comes back online.

Popular Stories

CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.4.1 With Bug Fixes

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:11 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1 come two weeks after the launch of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There have been complaints about ...
tvOS 18 Thumb 1

Apple Releases tvOS 18.4.1

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.4.1, a minor update to the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4.1 comes two weeks after Apple released tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.4.1 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....
iPhone Security Feature 25

Five iPhone Security Features You Should Be Using

Wednesday April 16, 2025 4:15 pm PDT by
Apple has quite a few security features that it's added to iPhones, iPads, and Macs over the years. Now more than ever, it's important to make sure you're taking advantage of the built-in security tools that are available to keep yourself and your data safe, so we've rounded up a list of the most important options. If you don't already have these enabled, you might want to consider turning...