Turn off Find My Phone in your device settings

Find My Phone is a location tracking feature that lets you locate your device remotely if it's lost or stolen. To stop using it, you'll go into your phone's settings and disable the feature — the exact steps depend on whether you have an iPhone or Android phone.

On an iPhone, Find My is built into iCloud. On Android, the equivalent feature is called Find My Mobile (Samsung) or Find My Device (Google). Turning it off means you won't be able to locate your phone remotely anymore, but the feature won't affect your phone's performance or battery life while it's on.

Key Takeaways

  • On iPhone, open Settings, tap your name at the top, select Find My, then turn off Find My iPhone.
  • On Android with Google, open Settings, go to Security and privacy, select Find My Device, and turn off the toggle.
  • On Samsung phones, open Settings, select Samsung Account, go to Find My Mobile, and turn off the feature.
  • You'll need your Apple ID password (iPhone) or Google account password (Android) to confirm the change.
  • Turning off Find My Phone means you lose the ability to track your device if it's lost, but the feature uses minimal battery when active.

How to turn off Find My on iPhone

Open the Settings app and tap your name or Apple ID at the very top of the screen. Scroll down and select Find My. You'll see two options: Find My iPhone and Find My network. Tap Find My iPhone and toggle it off. Your phone will ask you to enter your Apple ID password to confirm.

If you want to turn off Find My network as well (which helps locate your iPhone even when it's offline), tap that option and toggle it off too. You don't need to do this — Find My network is separate from Find My iPhone — but some people turn both off if they don't want any location tracking active.

After you toggle off Find My iPhone, your device will no longer appear in the Find My app on your other Apple devices, and you won't be able to locate it remotely through iCloud.com either.

How to turn off Find My Device on Android with Google

Open the Settings app and scroll down to find Security and privacy (the exact name varies slightly by phone model). Tap it, then look for Find My Device. Tap that option and toggle it off. You may be asked to confirm with your Google account password.

Once it's off, you won't be able to use Google's Find My Device service to locate your phone remotely. The feature will also stop sending your location to Google's servers for this purpose.

How to turn off Find My Mobile on Samsung phones

Open Settings and scroll down to find Accounts and backup or Accounts (the exact wording depends on your Samsung model). Tap Accounts, then select Samsung Account. Tap Find My Mobile and toggle it off. You'll need to enter your Samsung account password to confirm.

After you turn it off, you won't be able to use Samsung's Find My Mobile service to track your phone. If you ever need to turn it back on, you'll follow the same steps and toggle it back on instead.

What happens after you turn off Find My Phone

Once Find My is off, you lose the ability to locate your phone remotely if it's lost or stolen. You also won't receive notifications if someone tries to locate your device, and your phone's location won't be shared with any of your other devices or accounts.

The feature uses very little battery power when it's on, so turning it off won't noticeably improve your battery life. However, if you're concerned about location privacy or don't want your phone tracked, turning it off is the right choice. You can always turn it back on later by following the same steps and toggling it on instead.

Turn Find My back on if you change your mind

If you decide you want location tracking again, go back to the same settings menu and toggle Find My on. You'll need to enter your account password again. The process takes less than a minute, and your phone will immediately start sending location data to your account.

Many people turn Find My off temporarily — for example, if they're selling their phone and want to make sure it's not tracked after the sale. Once the new owner sets up the phone with their own account, they can turn on their own Find My feature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off Find My Phone affect my phone's speed or battery?

No. Find My uses minimal battery and processing power, so turning it off won't noticeably improve performance or battery life. The feature runs in the background and doesn't slow down your phone.

Can I turn off Find My for just one device?

Yes. Each device has its own Find My setting. You can turn it off on your iPhone and leave it on your iPad, for example. Go to each device's settings separately to control it individually.

What if I forgot my Apple ID or Google password?

You'll need to reset your password through your account's recovery process before you can turn off Find My. Visit iCloud.com (Apple) or Google Account Recovery to reset it, then return to your phone's settings to disable the feature.

Does turning off Find My delete my location history?

Turning off Find My stops future location tracking, but it doesn't delete any location history that was already recorded. If you want to clear that data, you'll need to go into your account settings (iCloud or Google Account) and manage your location history separately.

Can someone else turn off Find My on my phone?

No. Turning off Find My requires your account password, so someone would need access to your Apple ID or Google account to do it. This is a security feature designed to protect your phone from being tracked without your knowledge.