Find My & Privacy

Information about your devices, Find My network accessories, and your use of Find My (including the people you share location with and your location, when end-to-end encryption is unavailable) are used to provide and improve the service.
 

Find My is designed to protect your information and enable you to choose what you share.

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  • When you sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID, you will enable certain Find My features on supported devices, including participation in the Find My network.
  • The location of your device or accessory, as well as information about your device and your account, may be used to help you locate your Find My–enabled devices and supported accessories.
  • The Find My network uses end-to-end encryption so that Apple cannot see the location of any offline device or reporting device.

If you lose or misplace your Find My–enabled iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, iPod touch, or Mac, Find My allows you to locate your device on a map. In addition, Find My allows you to play a sound on, remotely lock and display a message on, or remotely wipe the device you’re trying to find. Find My can also help you locate or play a sound on supported accessories.

When you sign in and enable iCloud on your device, certain features of Find My are enabled automatically. These include participation in the Find My network, a crowdsourced network of Apple devices that helps find missing devices or compatible items as described below, and the ability to play a sound on your device, remotely lock and display a message on it, or remotely erase it. You also will receive notifications if you are separated from your supported devices and items. Your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, and certain Macs will be protected with Activation Lock, and cannot be erased and reactivated without your password. For more information, visit support.apple.com/kb/HT208987. Enabling Find My on your iPhone will automatically enable it on any paired Apple Watch. You can also separately enable Find My for an Apple Watch, which will enable it on your paired iPhone.

When you have Location Services enabled, you can choose to share your device’s current location using Share My Location. If you and your friend are both on iOS 17, your location will not be accessible to Apple. If you have a preexisting sharing relationship with a friend who is not on iOS 17, your location may be accessible to Apple if it is actively requested by a friend you are sharing with. Your location is retained for up to 24 hours in order to provide the service, after which it is deleted.

Find My can help you locate your devices on a map if you have enabled Location Services. If you choose to enable the Send Last Location feature, your device’s last known location will be automatically sent to Apple any time your device’s battery reaches a critically low level.

Find My can use the Find My network to help find devices even if they are not connected to the internet and, for supported devices, even if they are turned off or erased. Devices in the Find My network use Bluetooth wireless technology to detect missing devices or compatible items nearby, including AirTags and compatible third-party products registered to your Apple ID, and report their approximate location back to the owner. If a device is turned off or erased, that location is also visible to members of the owner’s Family Sharing group with whom they have chosen to share the location. The interaction is end-to-end encrypted, and Apple cannot see the location of any offline device or reporting device. When your device participates in the Find My network, it can both be located by the network and anonymously help locate other missing devices. You can choose to have your iOS or iPadOS device not participate in the Find My network by going to Settings > [your name] > Find My > Find My [device] and tapping to disable Find My network. You can choose to have your Mac not participate in the Find My network by going to System Settings > [your name] > iCloud, clicking Options next to Find My Mac, and turning off Find My network. For more information on AirTags and compatible third-party products, including instructions on adding these products to Find My and registering them to your Apple ID, visit support.apple.com/kb/HT211331.

You can turn off Find My and Activation Lock on your iOS or iPadOS device by going to Settings > [your name] > Find My > Find My [device], and tapping to turn off Find My iPhone or Find My iPad, and on your Mac by going to System Settings > [your name] > iCloud and deselecting Find My Mac.

If you choose to receive notifications when you are separated from supported devices and items, your device will suggest locations where you will not receive notifications, such as your home or work. These locations are stored in a way that cannot be read by Apple. You can also turn off separation notifications in the Find My app on your iOS or iPadOS device by tapping “Devices” or “Items,” tapping a device or item, tapping Notify When Left Behind, then tapping to turn off Notify When Left Behind. In the Find My app on a Mac, click “Devices” or “Items,” select a device or item, click the Info button on the device or item, then turn off Notify When Left Behind.

Applicable Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data

If you use Find My, we process personal data as necessary for providing the service, and to comply with our legal obligations. Where consent is the appropriate legal basis, we seek it in accordance with applicable local law.

Where applicable local law provides, we process personal data as necessary for purposes of our legitimate interests or those of a third party, in order to:

  • Provide you with the service
  • Help to improve and optimize the service for you and others
  • Prevent fraud and other malicious activity

The data used includes:

  • Details about your account, including your Apple ID
  • Information about your devices, including device version and location
  • Your AirTags, AirPods, and Find My network accessories, including the serial number
  • The people you have shared with, if you choose to share the location of your device or personal item (including AirTag or AirPods, and Find My network accessories)
  • Your location, if either your device or your friend’s device is running an operating system earlier than iOS 17
  • Your use of Find My, including when you connect AirTags, AirPods, and Find My network accessories to your device

At all times, information collected by Apple will be treated in accordance with Apple’s Privacy Policy, which can be found at www.apple.com/privacy

Published Date: September 18, 2023