It’s an annoying thing when you lose your iPhone, iPad or other Apple device. Something no one wants to experience, but it can always happen. Fortunately, with Find My App you can always lock your iPhone so that no one else can use it.
For that reason, it is advisable to always have this function active, so that you can always remotely block your Apple device. You do this by activating Lost Mode on, for example, your iPhone or iPad via the iCloud website. This locks the device and a message appears on the screen.
Activate Find My feature
- Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad
- Navigate to your name
- Tap ‘Find My’
- Go to ‘Find my [apparaat]’
- Enable the option
On a Mac you can enable this via  ▸ System Settings ▸ your name ▸ iCloud ▸ Show more apps ▸ Find My Mac, activate the function. You can also activate the find my function on, for example, Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple Pencil and AirTag.
Block lost or stolen iPhone
- In a web browser, open the iCloud.com web page
- Log in with your Apple Account
- Click here on ‘Find my’
- Select the ‘All devices’ option here
- Select the device you want to block
- Click on the ‘Report as Lost’ or ‘Lost Mode’ option
If your account is protected with two-factor authentication and you are unable to enter the additional code, you can click ‘Find iPhone’ at the bottom of the code field. Then you can open the search function without two-step verification and code.
Enable Lost Mode
If your iPad or iPhone is protected with a passcode, you will immediately see the phone number screen. Here you must enter an alternative telephone number where you can be reached, for example that of your partner. If your device does not have a passcode, you must first add it via iCloud.com. After entering a telephone number, you must click ‘next’. In the resulting window you can enter a message that the finder will see on the screen.
Choose ‘Done’ to activate ‘Lost Mode’ on your iDevice. Your device will be locked, the energy saving mode will be activated and the message will be displayed on the lock screen. The finder can then immediately use the ‘Call’ option to call you. You will be kept informed of the status of your iDevice via email, for example the last seen location or if it has moved. Your iDevice will not receive or show any notifications during Lost Mode.
iPhone stolen? Remote wipe
Instead of Lost Mode, you can also use the ‘Erase iDevice’ option via iCloud.com to completely wipe your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch remotely. You can also consult all these options in the standard ‘Find My iPhone’ app on another iOS device.
Unblock iPhone or iPad
When the honest finder hands over your iDevice, you can unblock your iDevice again by entering the code lock. You can then use your iPhone or iPad as usual.