Turning off Find My iPhone also turns off an important theft-protection and Activation Lock feature. Do this only when you have a legitimate reason, such as preparing a device for sale, trade-in, or service.
How to do it
- Open Settings.
- Tap your name.
- Tap Find My.
- Tap Find My iPhone.
- Turn Find My iPhone off.
- Authenticate with the Apple Account credentials or other security verification requested by the iPhone.
Why Apple requires authentication
Find My is tied to Activation Lock. Requiring account authentication helps prevent someone who merely possesses your iPhone from turning off tracking and removing the theft deterrent.
Selling or giving away the iPhone
Use Apple’s full preparation process rather than only switching off Find My. Back up anything you need, sign out as appropriate, erase the device, and make sure it is no longer tied to your account before handing it to someone else.
Before you finish
Menu names can change slightly between iOS releases, iPhone models, carriers, and app versions. If your screen does not exactly match these instructions, install available software updates and look for the same feature under the closest matching Settings section. Avoid changing unrelated security, privacy, or account options simply to make a missing control appear.
After making the change, test the feature once so you know the result is what you expected. If the setting affects an account, cellular service, privacy protection, or device security, keep your account credentials and a recent backup available before doing additional troubleshooting.
When in doubt, stop before erasing data, removing an account, or changing service with your carrier.