You can do more than just locate people and devices
Locating friends, family members, and your Apple devices using the Find My app is very useful. But Find My has evolved to be able to do much more than that. The latest innovation is that owners of the second generation of AirPod Pro can now locate the case. Even more useful is support for third-party devices through Apple’s Find My network accessory programme. Whether it’s earbuds from Belkin, an ebike from VanMoof, or tags from Chipolo, you can add them to Find My. So far, the number of accessories that support Find My is limited, but it’s sure to increase.
Once you have located a lost device you have a choice of what to do with it, depending on the device. You can mark an iPhone, iPad or Mac as lost and then display a message on its screen with a contact number in case it’s found. And you can choose to receive notifications when its status changes. Or, if you’re sure it’s been stolen, you can erase its data and settings remotely and lock it with a passcode.
HOW TO Mark a device as lost
1 Locate the device
In the Mac version of Find My, click on Devices at the top of the sidebar. Look for the device and click on it. On iPad or iPhone, tap Devices at the bottom of the screen and then tap on the device you’re looking for.
2 Select the device
Zoom in on the map if necessary and then click on or tap the device you want to mark as lost. When it is selected, scroll down to Mark As Lost and click or tap Activate. Choose Continue. Type a contact phone number.
3 Choose options
Tap or click Next, then type a message to display on the device. Tap or click Enable to mark the device as lost, then turn on Notify When Found. To turn off Lost mode, use your passcode to unlock the device that was lost.
HOW TO Add other items
Remove the battery tab from the AirTag and hold it next to your iPhone, or in Find My, tap Items, Add Item, Add AirTag. When it appears, tap Connect. Choose a name or tap Custom Name. Tap Continue. Tap Continue again.
Follow the device manufacturer’s instructions to prepare it to be added. Then, in the Find My app, tap or click Items then Add Item. Tap or click Other Supported Item. Follow the instructions to name and add the device.
To remove a device from Find My, it needs to be offline. So, the first thing to do is tur
