Find My Says Your iPhone Is Offline? Try These Fixes

Common causes

• The iPhone is powered off or its battery has run out
• No connection to a known Wi-Fi or data network
• Too much time since the iPhone last sent its location
• A country or region where the feature isn’t offered
• A problem with Location Services on the iPhone
• Stolen Device Protection hiding locations after an Apple Account password change

Step-by-Step Solutions

If your iPhone is missing, work through the first steps from another device right away, and use the later steps if you have the iPhone with you or it can’t be found.

1. 1

   Step 1: Check what Find My is showing

   The message Find My shows for your iPhone points to why it can’t show where it is now.

   Apple lists these reasons a device can show as offline: it’s powered off or its battery has run out, it isn’t connected to a known Wi-Fi or data network, or you might be in a region where the feature isn’t offered due to technical limitations or local law. If you turned on Send Last Location, it can also show as offline when more than 24 hours have passed since it connected to a Wi-Fi or data network.

   If more than seven days have passed since your iPhone last sent its location to Apple through the Find My network, Find My shows “No location found.” If your iPhone is online but can’t send its location, for example because of an issue with Location Services, Find My shows “Not sharing location • Online.”

2. 2

   Step 2: Look for its last known location

   Find My can still show where your iPhone last was, even when it can’t show where it is now.

   Open the Find My app on another Apple device, choose Devices, and select your iPhone to see it on a map. If Find My can’t show its current location, for example because the battery has run out, you can see its last known location for up to seven days in the Find My app.

   Tap the More button, then choose Directions to open the location in Maps. If you’re close, tap Play to play a sound.

   Good to know

   On icloud.com/find, your iPhone’s location is shown if it’s powered on and has a network connection. With Send Last Location turned on, it tries to upload its location just before it needs to be charged, and iCloud.com shows locations for up to 24 hours.

3. 3

   Step 3: Use iCloud.com or a family member’s device

   You don’t need your own Apple device to look for your iPhone.

   Sign in to icloud.com/find and use Find Devices. You don’t need a verification code to sign in there, so it works even if the lost iPhone is your trusted device. If you’re asked for a verification code, select the Find Devices button instead.

   If you’re part of a Family Sharing group, your iPhone can also appear in Find My on a family member’s device.

4. 4

   Step 4: Mark your iPhone as lost

   Lost Mode locks your iPhone and lets you show a contact message, and you can turn it on while the iPhone is offline.

   In the Find My app, go to the Devices tab, scroll down and select your missing iPhone, then tap the More button. Scroll down to Lost iPhone, turn on Lost Mode, follow the onscreen steps if you want to display your contact information, then tap Activate.

   Lost Mode locks your iPhone with your passcode and suspends payment cards and passes that you use with Apple Pay. If your iPhone is offline, it only appears online and in Lost Mode after it has been turned on and is connected to Wi-Fi or cellular.

   Good to know

   If you use Stolen Device Protection, Face ID or Touch ID is required to turn off Lost Mode, so someone who knows your passcode is still locked out.

5. 5

   Step 5: Send commands while it’s offline

   Find My keeps your request and delivers it when your iPhone comes back online.

   Even while your iPhone is offline, you can still play a sound, send a message, issue a lock request or start an erase with Find My. Your iPhone receives the command after it’s turned on and connects to the Internet.

6. 6

   Step 6: Check for a recent Apple Account password change

   Stolen Device Protection can hide your devices’ locations on iCloud.com for a while.

   If you turned on Stolen Device Protection and used your iPhone to change your Apple Account password while in an unfamiliar location, the location of your devices may not be visible at icloud.com/find for a period of time.

7. 7

   Step 7: If you have the iPhone with you

   If your iPhone isn’t showing properly in Find My, check its connection, account and settings.

   Check that your iPhone has a cellular or Wi-Fi network connection. If it does and you still can’t see it in Find My, turn Airplane Mode on and off. If that doesn’t help, restart your iPhone.

   Make sure you signed in to iCloud with the same Apple Account on all of your devices, and that Set Automatically is on in Settings, under General, then Date & Time.

8. 8

   Step 8: Check Find My and Location Services settings

   These settings decide what Find My can show when your iPhone is offline or its battery is low.

   Open Settings, tap your name, then tap Find My. Tap Find My iPhone and turn on Find My iPhone. To see your iPhone even when it’s offline, turn on Find My network. To have its location sent to Apple when the battery is low, turn on Send Last Location.

   Then go to Settings, tap Privacy & Security, select Location Services, and make sure Location Services is on.

9. 9

   Step 9: Erase it remotely only as a last resort

   Erasing can’t be undone, so try everything else first.

   In the Find My app, choose Devices, select your iPhone, tap the More button, then scroll down and choose Erase or Erase This Device. If your iPhone is offline, the remote erase begins the next time it’s online.

   If you erase a device with iOS 15 or later, you can still use Find My to find it. If you don’t have two-factor authentication turned on for your Apple Account, you can’t erase a device in the Find My app. Use iCloud.com instead, or turn on two-factor authentication first.

   Good to know

   Don’t remove your iPhone from Find My, even after you erase it. Removing it removes Activation Lock, which makes it easier for a thief to unlock and resell it.

Frequently Asked Questions