How to disable Find My iPhone (Activation Lock) on iPhone or iPad. How to disable Find My iPhone feature

Since appearing in iOS features Find My iPhone, theft of Apple devices has decreased significantly. This is due to what to find lost iPhone, iPad or Mac became easy, and the gadget itself, blocked by the user, turned into a brick for spare parts.

In this article, I want to tell you what the Find My iPhone feature is and how it helps protect your iOS device from theft.

What is Find iPhone?

"Find iPhone" or Find My iPhone is official service Apple, which helps protect your device from theft or loss. On at the moment You can use the service through the iCloud application and web service.

If your iPhone was stolen. then using the “Find iPhone” function you can do:

  • reproduce beep, which helps you find a smartphone or tablet if it is near you
  • see the device location on the map
  • enable lost mode, which will block iPhone, iPad
  • remotely delete all data from a stolen device

How to enable Find My iPhone

In order for the Find My iPhone function to work. you need to enable it in your device settings.

“Find iPhone” is enabled in the iOS device settings. Go to “Settings” - “iCloud” - “Find iPhone” (or find “Find iPad”) and move the slider to the active position. Here you can turn it on/off automatic sending last geoposition your device to Apple every time the battery is almost empty.

Simultaneously with enabling the Find My iPhone function for protection mobile device The attackers begin to block activation.

iPhone Activation Lock

Activation Lock or Activation Lock- appeared with the release of iOS 7 new opportunity improving security iPhone data or iPad. Activation Lock turns on automatically when you turn on Find My iPhone, assigning an Apple ID to the iOS devices you use. After this, the following actions will become unavailable without entering your Apple ID password:

  • disabling the Find My iPhone feature on the device;
  • deleting data from the device;
  • reactivation and use of the device.

It is worth noting that even flashing and restoring in DFU mode will not solve the problem. If you don't remember the password for your Apple ID, you can recover it using.

How to disable Find My iPhone

Disabling the Find iPhone function is necessary if you are selling your device or when returning it to service center for iPhone or iPad repair.

There are three ways to turn off Find My iPhone:

  1. Through iPhone settings or iPad
  2. Remotely using iCloud service
  3. Delete account iCloud recording from the device in the settings or by erasing the content and settings of the iPhone, iPad.

The easiest and fastest way to disable the Find My iPhone function is through the settings. To do this, you just need to go to “Settings” - “iCloud” - “Find iPhone” and there move the slider to the inactive position. you will be asked to enter your Apple ID password.

How to find iPhone from computer via iCloud

You can find your missing iPhone via iCloud from any computer or mobile device via a browser. To do this, go to the site and enter your Apple ID and password.

The My Devices menu displays all of your devices that are linked to that iCloud account.

To obtain information about the current geoposition of the device you need, as well as access to the control panel, you simply need to select it in the “My Devices” menu.

Find My iPhone app

You can use all the functionality of Find My iPhone, such as tracking the device’s geolocation or blocking it if it’s stolen, using: iCloud service, and using the universal mobile application “Find iPhone”. Find My iPhone is available for free download from .

After installation, simply launch the application and log in to the system by specifying your Apple ID and password. Once authenticated, you can always track iPhone location, iPad or Mac on the card, provided that on all listed devices the same one is included account iCloud.

How to Find a Lost or Stolen iPhone

If Find My iPhone has been enabled on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac, then immediately after you discover that the device is missing, you must enable “Lost Mode” via iCloud as soon as possible or mobile application"Find iPhone."

This mode will lock your iPhone and require you to enter a password to continue working.

If the smartphone was previously password protected lock, then when the lost mode is activated, a combination of numbers already familiar to the owner will be used as a password. Otherwise, you will need to come up with a new password.

I would also like to add that the missing device is not connected to the Internet, then all commands sent using the Find iPhone or iCloud application will be executed only after the device is back online.

Let's say that your iPhone mobile device has failed for some reason. You decide to hand over the phone to an employee who repairs such devices, but a problem arises because he simply does not want to accept such a communicator for repair. The motivation in most cases is that almost every gadget has special function"Find iPhone." If you decide to take the device to a service center, then you should definitely deactivate it first. Today we decided to look at very interesting question- on how to disable the Find My iPhone feature.

Necessity

This feature is actually very useful in the case when you do not have access to your mobile device, this may be after loss or even theft. Using the function, you can block the device and send absolutely any text messages, enable sounds and erase any data. If your phone has been stolen, then you can put a “lock” on it, so that the attacker will no longer be able to activate it independently, even if the firmware is changed. Be sure to remember that you can only lock your phone if you know your Apple ID and password. If this is not the case, you may have problems activating the device in the future.

Turnover

On the one hand, we can say with confidence that the Find iPhone function is very useful and relevant. But if we consider the other side, then it is easy to understand that this is fraught for the user himself. After all, if the device failed or was blocked, then you should definitely know how to disable the “Find iPhone” function through a computer.

iTunes Features

If you have previously had to contact a service center to have your mobile phone repaired, iPhone devices, then you know that the employee always asks to disable the search function. This is required not only for personal safety, but also to ensure that after a system recovery of the device, it is automatic mode not blocked, and if this already happens, then the device cannot be restored. After you find out the answer to the question of how to disable the “Find iPhone” function and do it, remember that your gadget will no longer be found. Let's now look at what not to do until Find My iPhone is disabled. Firstly, you won't be able to restore your device in iTunes if necessary, and even if you try, the program will give you a warning anyway. Secondly, you will not be able to delete all settings and data from your mobile device (in fact, this action is also sometimes required). In any case, if necessary, you can always turn the function back.

So, let's start solving the question of how to disable the "Find iPhone" function through iTunes. Go to the program and find how to disable the required feature. You must remember that the function must be deactivated from another device or from one, but in any case there must be an active connection to the Internet. Let's now look at where to find the opportunity we are interested in and solve the question of how to disable the "Find iPhone" function. On your mobile device, you should visit Settings and go to iCloud. Next there you can find the “Find iPhone” function, and you only need to disable the switch.

No password

« Find iPhone" - official Apple service, which provides a number of options for protecting Apple gadgets in case of loss or theft. In the instructions below we'll talk on how to disable Find My iPhone (Activation Lock) and remove the device from its previous owner's account for future use.

If we're talking about about used gadgets, in some cases, when activating the device, a window may appear on the display requesting input Apple ID ID and password of its previous owner. In this case this message means that all data on the device was destroyed, but the link to the account of the former owner was preserved.

If your iPhone or iPad displays normal screen locks with an access code request or the “ Home" - this means that the information has not been deleted.

How to turn off Find My iPhone if your iPhone or iPad has been erased

If previous owner is nearby, ask him to unlink the device from his account by entering his password and Apple ID on the lock screen.

Otherwise, contact him and ask him to remove the gadget from his account by doing the following:

2 . Open web application " Find iPhone»;

3 . Open the list of devices linked to your account in the “ All devices» and select the gadget you want to remove;

4 . Click " Remove from account».

After the device is unlinked from the previous owner's account, turn off and reactivate the device. Now .

On devices running iOS 10 or higher, make sure that former owner disconnected it from the iCloud account before deleting the information.

If iOS 9.0 or lower is installed and contact to the previous user asking you to delete data by opening “ Settings» -> « Basic» -> « Reset» -> « Erase content and settings».

If the previous owner is far away, contact him after connecting the gadget to Wi-Fi or mobile network, and ask him to remove the device using the methods described below:

How to disable “Find iPhone” (remove from the list) on another device

1 . The previous owner must open the Find My iPhone application and log in using the Apple ID information;

2 . Select from the list the device that you want to disconnect from your account;

3 . Click " Actions» -> « Erase iPhone» -> « Erase iPhone»;

4 . Enter your account password Apple ID and press " Erase»;

5 . Select the item " Remove from account».

All Apple tablets and phones have the “Find My iPhone” function, which allows you to determine the location of a stolen or lost device using satellite geolocation. If you sync your device with iCloud servers via Apple ID, you will have access to it. But in some cases this feature should be disabled. This can be done in several ways, including through your home computer.

When to turn off Find My iPhone

The feature may have been activated accidentally, or access to your Apple account It's not just you who has the ID, and you don't want that person to be able to determine your location. Also, it is worth remembering that people in the group “ Family Sharing", can view each other's location, unless you prohibit this in the settings.

If you try to restore or update your device's firmware through iTunes while Find My iPhone is enabled, you will see an error asking you to disable it.

Error when trying to restore the device

If you try to erase your device's settings and content, you will also receive a notification asking you to deactivate Find My iPhone.

It is impossible to reset device settings and content

How to deactivate the feature

There are several ways to help you turn off Find My iPhone. Which one to choose depends on what device you are going to do it from.

iOS for iPhone or iPad

The following methods are suitable for those who will perform all the steps from an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

Through iCloud settings

By completely disabling iCloud

Via the app

The disadvantage of this method is that the device on which you disabled the function will reactivate it the first time you connect to the Internet. That is, in order to permanently deactivate the function, you need to do this through the iCloud settings.

Via Windows, Mac OS or Android computer

Valid for all these platforms one way disabling the Find iPhone function - through the official iCloud website. The only thing you need is an Internet browser.

  1. Follow the link: https://www.icloud.com/#find and log in.

  2. Expand the All Devices menu.

    Click the All Devices button

  3. Select the phone or tablet on which you are going to disable the feature.

    Selecting a device

  4. Will open detailed information about the device, click the “Erase iPhone, iPad” button.

    Click the “Erase” button

  5. Confirm the action by clicking the “Erase” button.

    Confirm the action

  6. Enter the password for your account Apple records ID.

    Enter the password

  7. If you want, enter the number, it will be sent to the device on which the function was disabled.

    Enter the number

  8. You can add a text message to the entered number.

    Enter a message

  9. Done, confirmation sent to the device. Find My iPhone will be disabled as soon as your phone or tablet connects to the internet.

    Feature disabled

Can I turn off Find My iPhone without my Apple ID password?

The answer is no, because this is a violation simple rules security, which Apple will not agree to. If it were possible to disable this feature without a password, then there would simply be no point in it. Attackers would steal devices and disable this function, and it would become completely impossible to find the device. In one of the versions iOS firmware There was a hole that could be used to disable Find My iPhone without a password, but it was quickly fixed in the next update.

What should I do if I can’t turn off Find My iPhone?

The problem may arise if you disable the function not through the settings of the device itself, but from another phone or computer. The error occurs if the device is connected to the Internet or simply turned on during the process of disabling the function. There is only one way out - disconnect the device from Wi-Fi networks or mobile internet, and, if the first does not help, completely turn off the device so that it goes into offline mode.

Disconnecting the device

Remember that you should disable the Find My iPhone function only as a last resort, since you can never predict whether you will have to search for the device or not. If you disabled it to perform an operation to restore, update or reset your device, then once you finish the process, enable the function again.

Since the launch of Apple's Find iPhone service, the number of thefts of Apple mobile devices has decreased significantly. The thing is that it has become very easy to find a stolen iPhone, iPad or Mac, and the device itself, locked by the owner, became in the hands of criminals just a set of spare parts and nothing more.

What is “Find iPhone” and how can you use this function to protect your iOS device from theft?

In case of theft or iPhone loss, iPad thanks to the “Find iPhone” function it became possible:

  • determine the device’s geoposition on the map;
  • play a sound signal to help you find a smartphone or tablet if it is somewhere nearby;
  • activate lost mode, which blocks iPhone, iPad;
  • remotely erase all information from a stolen device.

How to enable Find My iPhone

In order to start using the Find My iPhone feature, you must first enable it in the settings of your device.

“Find iPhone” is activated in the settings of the iOS device. Open settings, go to iCloud > Find My iPhone(or “Find iPad”) and drag the slider to the “on” position. In the same subsection, you can enable/disable automatic sending of the last geoposition of your device to Apple whenever the battery charge is critically low.

Simultaneously with the activation of the Find My iPhone function, activation blocking begins to protect the mobile device from intruders.

iPhone Activation Lock

Activation Lock is a new feature that came with iOS 7 that increases the security of iPhone or iPad data. Activation Lock turns on automatically when Find My iPhone is activated, assigning an Apple ID to the iOS devices you use. After this, the following actions will become impossible without entering your Apple ID password:
  • disabling the Find My iPhone feature on the device;
  • deleting data from the device;
  • reactivation and use of the device.
Moreover, even flashing and restoring from DFU mode don't solve problems. If you forgot Apple password ID, try restoring it using these instructions.

How to disable Find My iPhone

Turning off Find My iPhone is necessary when transferring the device to a new owner and to service iPhone or iPad.
There are several ways to disable Find My iPhone:
  • in the iPhone or iPad settings;
  • remotely, via the iCloud service;
  • by deleting the iCloud account from the device in the settings or erasing the content and settings of the iPhone, iPad.
Of course, the quickest and easiest way is to turn off Find My iPhone in Settings. Open Settings, go to iCloud > Find My iPhone, and slide the slider to the off position. Next, you need to enter your Apple ID password.

How to find iPhone from computer via iCloud

You can find your iPhone via iCloud from any computer or mobile device through a browser. To do this, you need to go to the icloud.com page and enter your Apple ID and password.


Next, go to the “Find iPhone” application. Here you may need to enter your Apple ID password again.


The My Devices menu displays all your devices on which the same iCloud account has been activated.


To obtain information about the current geoposition of the device you are interested in, as well as access to the control panel, you just need to select it in the “My Devices” menu.

Find My iPhone app

You can use all the features provided by Find iPhone, such as tracking the geolocation of the device or blocking it in case of theft, both through the iCloud service and using the universal mobile application Find iPhone. Find My iPhone is available for free download on the App Store.

After installation, simply launch the application and sign in using your Apple ID and password. Once authenticated, you can always track the location of your iPhone, iPad or Mac on a map, provided that the same iCloud account is activated on all listed devices.

How to Find a Lost or Stolen iPhone

If Find My iPhone has been activated on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac, you should turn on Lost Mode via iCloud or the Find My iPhone mobile app as soon as you discover it's missing.

Activation this mode will block your smartphone, tablet or computer and require you to enter

If the device was previously protected, then when the lost mode is activated, a combination of numbers already familiar to the owner will be used as a password. Otherwise, you will need to come up with a new password.


It is worth noting that if the lost device is not connected to the Internet, then all your commands sent through the Find iPhone or iCloud application will be executed only after the device appears on the Internet.

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