How to turn off Find My iPhone
To turn off Find My iPhone, open Settings, tap your name at the top, select Find My, then tap Find My iPhone and toggle it off. You'll be asked to enter your Apple ID password to confirm. That's the complete process — it takes about 30 seconds.
The toggle you're looking for is a simple on/off switch. When it's green, Find My iPhone is active. When it's gray, the feature is off. After you toggle it off and enter your password, your iPhone stops sending its location to Apple's servers, and the feature becomes unavailable on iCloud.com or other Apple devices.
If you're using an older iPhone running iOS 12 or earlier, the path is slightly different: Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Find My iPhone, then toggle off. The end result is the same.
Key Takeaways
- Find My iPhone turns off through Settings > [Your Name] > Find My > Find My iPhone, and requires your Apple ID password to confirm.
- When Find My iPhone is off, you lose the ability to locate your phone through iCloud.com or the Find My app on another Apple device.
- Turning off Find My iPhone does not affect other location services — apps can still use your location for maps, weather, or other functions.
- If your iPhone is lost or stolen after you turn off Find My iPhone, you have no built-in way to track it through Apple's system.
Why you might want to turn it off
The most common reason to turn off Find My iPhone is privacy. When the feature is on, Apple knows your phone's location at all times, even if you're not actively using it. Some people object to this on principle, even though Apple says the data is encrypted and tied to your Apple ID.
Another reason is troubleshooting. If your iPhone is behaving strangely or you're having issues with iCloud sync, turning off Find My iPhone and turning it back on can sometimes resolve the problem. You might also turn it off temporarily if you're selling or giving away your phone and want to make sure it's fully disconnected from your account before handing it over.
A third reason is if you're in a situation where you don't want anyone — including Apple — to know where your phone is. This is rare, but it's a legitimate choice.
What you lose when Find My iPhone is off
The main loss is the ability to locate your phone if it's lost or stolen. If your iPhone goes missing and Find My iPhone is off, you cannot use iCloud.com, the Find My app on another Apple device, or Siri to track it down. You also lose the ability to remotely lock or erase your phone through Apple's system.
You do not lose other location services. Apps like Google Maps, Apple Maps, and weather apps can still use your location. Your iPhone can still be found by emergency services if you call 911, because that works through your cellular carrier, not through Find My iPhone.
If someone else has access to your Apple ID and knows your password, turning off Find My iPhone also means they cannot track your phone either — which is a privacy benefit, but also means you lose that protection if your account is compromised.
How to turn Find My iPhone back on
The process is identical to turning it off. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My > Find My iPhone, and toggle it back on. You'll enter your Apple ID password again. Once it's on, your iPhone will begin reporting its location to Apple's servers within a few minutes.
If you've forgotten your Apple ID password, you can reset it through Settings > [Your Name] > Password & Security > Change Password, or through Apple's account recovery website. You'll need access to a trusted phone number or email address associated with your account.
The difference between Find My iPhone and other tracking features
Find My iPhone is Apple's built-in location service that lets you track your phone through iCloud.com or the Find My app. It requires your Apple ID and works only on Apple devices and through Apple's servers.
Find My Friends (now called Find My in newer iOS versions) is a separate feature that lets you share your location with specific people you choose. You can turn this on or off independently of Find My iPhone. It's found in the same Settings menu, under Find My > Share My Location.
Location Services is a broader system that lets individual apps request your location for maps, weather, photos, and other functions. Turning off Find My iPhone does not turn off Location Services. If you want to prevent all apps from accessing your location, you would turn off Location Services entirely in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, but this will break maps and weather apps.
What to do if you can't turn off Find My iPhone
If the toggle is grayed out or won't respond, the most common cause is that you're not signed into iCloud with your Apple ID. Go to Settings > [Your Name] and make sure you're logged in. If you're not, sign in with your Apple ID and password.
Another possibility is that Screen Time restrictions are preventing you from changing this setting. If someone else set up Screen Time on your phone, they may have locked down changes to privacy and location settings. To check, go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions. If it's on, you'll need the Screen Time passcode to make changes.
If neither of those works, try restarting your iPhone. Hold down the power button and volume button together until you see the power-off slider, then slide to power off. Wait 10 seconds, then hold the power button again until you see the Apple logo. After it restarts, try toggling Find My iPhone off again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone else turn off Find My iPhone on my phone?
Only if they know your Apple ID password. The system requires your password to confirm the change, which is a security measure. If you think someone has your password, change it immediately through Settings > [Your Name] > Password & Security > Change Password.
If I turn off Find My iPhone, can Apple still see my location?
No. When Find My iPhone is off, your phone stops sending location data to Apple's Find My system. Other Apple services like Siri, Maps, and iCloud may still use location data for their own functions, but the Find My tracking system is disconnected.
Will turning off Find My iPhone affect my backups?
No. iCloud backups and Find My iPhone are separate systems. You can turn off Find My iPhone and still back up your phone to iCloud, or vice versa. Turning off one does not affect the other.
What happens to Find My iPhone if I sell my phone?
Before you sell or give away your iPhone, you should sign out of your Apple ID entirely. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Sign Out. This removes Find My iPhone, your photos, your email, and all other iCloud data from the phone. The new owner can then set up the phone with their own Apple ID. If you only turn off Find My iPhone without signing out, your account information remains on the device.
Can I use Find My iPhone if I don't have cellular service?
Yes, as long as your phone can connect to Wi-Fi. Find My iPhone works over Wi-Fi, cellular data, or both. If your phone is completely offline, the last known location will show in the Find My app, but it won't update until the phone connects again.