Apple’s Find My iPhone feature can be really useful if your iOS devices like iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch are ever lost or stolen. However, there are a few different reasons why some people might be looking for help to disable the feature.
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If you’re wondering “How do I turn Find My iPhone off?”, we’re here to help you out. Here’s what we’ll be covering in this tutorial:
- How to turn off Find My iPhone through iOS settings
- How to turn off Find My iPhone via iCloud
- Reasons to disable Find My iPhone
- How to turn Find My iPhone back on
To begin, we’ll give you the step-by-step instructions with pictures for turning find my iPhone off through making some quick changes to the settings on your device.
How to turn off Find My iPhone through iOS settings
Shutting off iOS tracking through your device’s settings is very quick and easy – just follow these six simple steps:
1. On the home screen on your iOS device, tap the Settings app button.
On your iPhone’s home screen, tap the Settings icon to access the settings for your device.
2. Tap your name at the top.
Once the Settings app has been launched, tap your name near the top of your screen. This will allow you to access more settings related to your Apple ID.
3. Select iCloud on the next page.
On the Apple ID Settings page, tap iCloud to move on to the next steps.
4. Scroll down and select Find My iPhone.
Next, scroll down to the “Apps Using iCloud” section on the iCloud Settings page. Then tap Find My iPhone.
5. Tap the switch labelled “Find My iPhone” to shut off the feature.
To disable Find My iPhone tracking, tap the toggle switch near the top of your screen. When the switch turns white, the feature has been turned off.
6. Enter the password for your Apple ID, then tap Turn Off.
To finalize the disabling process, you’ll need to enter your Apple ID password. This is required for security reasons, so that if someone were to steal your device, they wouldn’t be able to deactivate the tracking feature without your password. Tap the text box in the small window that appears, type in your account password, and then tap Turn Off.
Once you complete these six easy steps, you’ll have disabled Find My iPhone on your iOS device. This will work to shut off iCloud tracking on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
If you’d like to disable Find My iPhone but aren’t able to do so through your settings (if you don’t have your device handy, etc.) you can also disable tracking through the iCloud website on your computer’s web browser. We’ll show you how to do this next.
How to turn off Find My iPhone via iCloud
Following these six steps will allow you to deactivate tracking on your iOS device through any web browser on your computer by signing in to your Apple ID account online. This method does not require you to have your iOS device with you.
1. Open your web browser and go to iCloud.com.
Using any web browser you prefer, navigate to the iCloud website.
2. Sign into your Apple ID account.
Now, enter your email address and password to log into the same Apple ID account that’s signed in on your iOS device.
3. Select Find iPhone from the menu.
In the menu that appears, click the Find iPhone icon.
4. Click All Devices, then select the device you’re disabling.
In the middle at the top of your screen, click on All Devices. This will reveal a dropdown menu listing all devices linked to your Apple ID account that have tracking enabled. Click on the name of the device you want to shut off tracking on.
5. Click Remove from Account to disable Find My iPhone tracking.
To indicate that you want to disable tracking on that device, select Remove from Account towards the bottom of the window.
6. To confirm that you want to disable it, click Remove in the pop-up window.
A small window will appear with a message making sure that you want to shut off tracking. If you’re sure you want to disable it, click Remove.
That’s all it takes to deactivate Find My iPhone through iCloud. Now, let’s cover four of the main reasons why you may be interested in turning off this iCloud device tracking feature.
Reasons to turn off Find My iPhone
If you’re looking to turn off iOS tracking, you may have a reason for it in mind already. If not, here are a few other reasons why you may want to consider deactivating it.
1. If you’re selling your device or giving it to someone else.
When giving your device to a friend or family member or selling it to someone, you’ll need to disable Find My iPhone before giving them the device. This way, the new owner of the device will be able to link the device to their own Apple ID and use Find My iPhone themselves.
2. Resetting your device to factory defaults.
You cannot reset an iOS device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch) without turning off Find My iPhone. This setting is in place to prevent stolen devices from being reset by the person who stole them. If you want to reset your device before selling it, or just to wipe all of the data from it and start fresh, you need to disable Find My iPhone beforehand.
3. Preserving battery power.
Some people have found that their device’s battery lasts longer when Find My iPhone is not enabled.
4. Disabling location tracking.
If you’re uncomfortable with the thought of your device being able to be tracked at any time through the Find My iPhone feature, you can turn it off for peace of mind.
If one or more of these reasons apply to you, you should move forward with the process of turning off the iCloud Find My iPhone app. If you ever happen to change your mind, you can easily turn tracking back on through the device’s settings. Keep reading to find out how!
How to turn Find My iPhone back on
The steps to turning tracking back on are actually very similar to the steps to turning it off. Here’s how to do it:
1. Open your iOS settings.
Tap Settings on your home screen to launch the app.
2. Tap your name at the top.
At the top of the page, select your name.
3. Select iCloud on the next page.
To access the settings for tracking, tap iCloud.
4. Scroll down and tap Find My iPhone.
Look through the menu to find Find My iPhone. When you do, tap it.
5. Tap the switch at the top of your screen to enable tracking.
When the switch turns from white to green, tracking has been enabled.
6. If prompted, enter your Apple ID password to confirm.
You may be asked for your password to confirm that you want tracking to be turned on. If this happens, just type in the password for your Apple ID account.
That’s everything you need to know to turn off Find My iPhone. If you ever change your mind and want to enable it again, check out our tutorial on how to enable and use Find My iPhone. Find out about other things you can do with your device in the iOS section of our site.