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Q. I got my first iPhone! I’m probably the last person to give up their flip phone but at least I finally have a smartphone.
Can you recommend your favorite app? I’ve asked my friends but they’re telling me to get gaming apps and stuff but I’m not really interested in that. Which app do you think is the best one to get?
A. Congratulations on getting your first iPhone! You are certainly not the last to give up on flip phones. Many people only need a flip phone and haven’t (yet) moved to a smartphone.
Great question. I get this question a lot and have a very definite answer: the first app you should get for your iPhone is Find My iPhone.
Your new iPhone will quickly become an essential tool for you and losing it would be somewhere between a hassle and a nightmare. Whether you’ve misplaced it under a sofa cushion, you leave it on a bus or a thief snatches it, you want the best chance of getting your iPhone back. Find My iPhone gives you the best chance, and the app is free!
This app will help you locate your iPhone if it becomes lost or stolen, showing you on a map where your phone is located. You can put your phone in Lost mode, allowing you to lock the phone remotely and wipe all the data from it to protect your information. You can also display a message on the phone to help the finder reunite you with your phone.
The app lets you play a sound on the phone even if it’s in silent mode. Yes, you could try calling your phone, but the ringtone won’t play if the phone is in silent mode.
[note]The Find My iPhone app can also be used with an iPad and iPod Touch.[/note]
How to Use Find My iPhone
First you need to get the app from the iTunes App Store: Find My iPhone app.
Second, you need to sign into the app using your iCloud account. This may be different from your iTunes account, your iTunes account is used for buying songs, apps, videos, iBooks, etc. from the iTunes App Store. Your iCloud account is to keep track of your stuff. If you share an iTunes account with others in your household, you may want to set up an iCloud account that is different from your iTunes account. See Apple’s website: Set up your Apple ID for iCloud and iTunes.
Third, go into your Settings app on your phone => iCloud => Find My iPhone and turn it On.
[note] Also turn On Send Last Location in Settings which helps you find the phone even if the battery dies. [/note]
The location of your iPhone can now be found using the Find My iPhone app and/or a computer.
How to Find Your Phone
If your phone is missing you can find it by logging into your iCloud account using the Find My iPhone app on another iDevice or at the iCloud website, icloud.com from any computer.
You’ll be shown a list of your iDevices that are registered to your iCloud account. Tap on your iPhone to see its location on a map. A battery meter appears in the upper right corner of the map to show you how much charge your phone has left.
You can tap on the car icon to get driving directions to the location of your phone.
Tap on Actions at the bottom of the screen and a menu will appear with these choices:
- Play Sound
- Lost Mode
- Erase iPhone
Play Sound commands the phone to make a pinging sound even if the phone is muted.
Lost Mode lets you lock your phone so that your passcode (or Touch ID fingerprint) must be used to unlock the phone. You can also enter a phone number for the finder to call in the hope that your iPhone is found by a Good Samaritan.
Erase iPhone lets you wipe all your data, apps, etc. from your phone.
[important]If you believe your iPhone has been stolen, do not use this app to retrieve the phone. Contact law enforcement who can use the app to locate your phone and retrieve it from the thief. [/important]
You’ll find many interesting stories of how Find My iPhone has help people reunite with their phones. See, AppStorm Unbelievable “Find My iPhone” Stories: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Find My Mac
You can also enable Find My Mac to locate your Mac computer. Click on the Apple logo in the top menu bar => System Preferences => Find My Mac and check the box.
Your Thoughts
Have you ever used Find My iPhone to locate your lost phone? Do you have any stories of getting your iPhone back? Did you know you can find your iPhone even if the battery has died? Let us know in the Comments section below!
*Detective image (edited) courtesy of olarte.ollie via Flickr and Creative Commons
Just last week our teen lost her iPhone on a commuter train. Someone turned it into an Apple Store. We knew where to find it because of Find my IPhone.
Hi Stephanie, I’m so glad your teenager was able to retrieve her phone using Find My iPhone! That’s great that someone was kind enough to turn it into an Apple Store.
Yesterday one of my teenagers left her phone on the school bus. She was able to locate it using Find My iPhone and get it back.
These stories probably would have been very different if these teens didn’t have Find My iPhone. It’s handy for adults too!
Hi Carolyn
Very amazing features this iphone app has.
It will be a great product in regions where law and order situation is not idea and mobile snatching is so common.
It is possible many people may not afford its price but the info recovery benefit it offers is the main incentive people will be attracted towards it especially those who use this gadget for a business purpose.
Those who don’t want to their information is leaked will love this app as many people have very confidential info in their phone which they never want to share with others.
Thanks a lot for sharing the information of this very useful resource.
Hi Mi, Yes, this app is free and comes in handy when your phone is lost or stolen. You’re right, in areas where crime is a problem, this app is extremely handy but just be sure not to take the law into your own hands and confront the criminal by yourself.
Many people buy the iPhone with a 2-year contract at a discounted price so don’t realize that the true cost of replacing the phone is $400-$500 more than the price they paid.
Find My iPhone is a free app that could save you a lot of money and frustration. There really isn’t a good reason not to have this app!
I love the lost mode, it can play a sound when you left your iPhone on anywhere in home but can’t see it. Just use that feature and hear it.
Hi Alize, You’re exactly right. Some people try calling their phone to find it but that won’t work if your phone is on silent or you have the volume turned down. Find My iPhone lets you play a sound even if your volume is off.
Hi Carolyn,
I have been using this App for a long time although, fortunately, I never needed to really put to work for me so far. Thank goodness!
However, I did not know so many details about this App until I came across this very detailed post from you. Wow! Technology can be so wonderful if you just keep ourselves aware of things that we can do with what we have with us.
A great job and I am sure that a lot of people have benefited and will continue to benefit from force like this from you. You are so detailed and so awesome!
Regards,
Kumar
Hi Kumar, I’m so glad you found this article to be helpful for you. Yes, you can add Find My iPhone but not realize either the many features of it or that you have to activate it in settings for it to work.
That’s great you never have to use it, I hope you never do need it. The good news that if you do ever lose your phone, you have a much better chance of getting it back using this app.
That is really an interesting app. thks for sharing this