To turn off Find My on an iPhone 15, open Settings, tap your name, tap Find My > Find My iPhone, and turn off Find My iPhone. Enter your Apple Account password and tap Turn Off. This also turns off Activation Lock, so the phone can be erased and set up by someone else.
Applies to: iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max on iOS 17 and later, including iOS 26. Apple renamed “Apple ID” to “Apple Account” in iOS 18, so older screens may still say Apple ID. Steps checked against Apple Support on October 10, 2026.
What turning off Find My changes
Find My does three jobs. It shows where your iPhone is on a map, it lets you lock or erase it from another device, and it turns on Activation Lock. Activation Lock means nobody can erase and reuse the phone without your Apple Account password.
When you turn Find My off, all three stop. That is what you want before you sell, trade in, or send the phone for repair. For everyday use, leave it on, because a lost iPhone with Find My off can’t be tracked or locked.
Turn off Find My on the iPhone itself
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap your name at the top of the screen.
- Tap Find My.
- Tap Find My iPhone.
- Turn off the Find My iPhone switch.
- Enter your Apple Account password, then tap Turn Off.
The switch turns gray when Find My is off. On the same screen you can also see Find My network and Send Last Location. They turn off with Find My iPhone, because they only work when it is on.
Your iPhone needs a Wi-Fi or cellular connection so Apple can check your password and release Activation Lock.
If your iPhone asks you to wait an hour
If Stolen Device Protection is on and your iPhone is away from a familiar place such as your home or work, turning off Find My needs extra steps. You have to confirm with Face ID, wait one hour (the security delay), and then confirm with Face ID again. Your passcode alone will not work.
This is meant to stop a thief who has seen your passcode. If you are at home, the delay usually does not apply. If you are in a hurry, go to a familiar location, or wait out the hour and finish the steps. You can check the setting in Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Stolen Device Protection.
Remove the iPhone when you don’t have it
If you already sold or gave away the phone, or it is lost for good, you can remove it from your account on the web:
- Go to icloud.com/find on a computer and sign in with your Apple Account.
- Select All Devices, then select the iPhone 15.
- Select Remove This Device and confirm.
You can also do this in the Find My app on another iPhone, iPad, or Mac signed in to the same account: open the Devices tab, tap the iPhone, and tap Remove This Device.
If the iPhone is still on and connected to the internet, it will show up again the next time it goes online. In that case, erase it first with Erase This Device, then remove it. Removing the device turns off Activation Lock, so the new owner can set it up.
Turn off Find My when you erase or sell the phone
When you go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings, your iPhone asks for your Apple Account password and turns off Find My as part of the erase. Signing out of your Apple Account in Settings also turns Find My off. For the full process, see how to wipe an iPhone 15.
Back up the phone first if you want to keep your photos, messages, and app data. You can back up to iCloud in Settings > your name > iCloud > iCloud Backup, or to a computer.
Your AirPods and Apple Watch
Turning off Find My on the iPhone does not remove your other devices. AirPods and other accessories stay on your account. To remove AirPods, open the Find My app, tap Devices, tap the AirPods, and tap Remove This Device.
An Apple Watch has its own Activation Lock. It turns off when you unpair the watch in the Watch app on your iPhone (tap All Watches, tap the info button next to the watch, then tap Unpair Apple Watch).
If you can’t turn it off
- The switch is gray and won’t move: check Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions. If Account Changes is set to Don’t Allow, change it to Allow, or ask the person who manages Screen Time.
- Your password is not accepted: reset it at iforgot.apple.com or in Settings > your name > Sign-In & Security > Change Password.
- “Verification failed” appears: check your internet connection, then restart the iPhone and try again.
- The phone belongs to a school or company: a device management profile can block the change. Ask the IT team that set it up.
- A child’s phone in Family Sharing: the child’s Apple Account password is needed, not the parent’s.
Frequently asked questions
Will turning off Find My iPhone delete my data?
No. Your photos, apps, and settings stay on the phone. Find My only controls tracking, remote erase, and Activation Lock.
Does turning off Find My stop my family from seeing my location?
Not always. Location sharing is a separate setting. To stop it, go to Settings > your name > Find My and turn off Share My Location.
Do I need my Apple Account password?
Yes. Apple asks for the password of the account the iPhone is signed in to. This is what stops a thief from turning off Activation Lock.
Can I turn off Find My without the password?
No. If you can’t reset the password, and the phone is yours, Apple may be able to remove Activation Lock if you can show proof of purchase. Start a request on the Apple Support website or visit an Apple Store with the receipt.
Should I turn Find My back on later?
If you keep the phone, yes. Find My lets you locate a lost iPhone, play a sound, mark it as lost, or erase it from a distance. Turn it back on in the same place: Settings > your name > Find My > Find My iPhone.
Why does the iPhone still show in Find My after I turned it off?
The list can take a few minutes to update. If it still shows later, check that Find My iPhone is really off on the phone and that it was signed in to the same Apple Account. If you removed the phone on iCloud.com while Find My was still on, it comes back the next time it connects to the internet. Turn Find My off on the phone, or erase it, and then remove it again.
Does Apple need to be told when I sell the phone?
No. Once Find My is off and the phone is erased, the new owner can sign in with their own Apple Account. Ask them to start setup while you are there to confirm it isn’t locked.
Want to save the confirmation screen? Here’s how to take a screenshot on iPhone 15.
Related: how to turn off an iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Related: how to connect an Apple Watch to an iPhone 15.
Related: how to use Apple Pay on iPhone 15.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.