There have been a lot of changes to the Find My iPhone app since it became a native app to iOS 5. Under previous iOS systems it was a third party app, and now in its latest native incarnation, it has become even more universal.
It now comes as a standard app with iOS 5, and if upgraded from a previous iOS, it’s just a simple download. It used to be both limiting and complicated, requiring a subscription to MobileMe, but now it just works along with iCloud, another iOS 5 freebie.
Before even using the Find the iPhone app, you have to make sure it’s turned on in the Settings app, regardless of whether you are using an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. In the sidebar, find iCloud, then at the bottom of all those internal apps, you will see Find My iPhone. This needs to be set to On.
Once you open up the Find My iPhone app, you will need to sign in with your Apple ID and password. If you have never used iCloud yet, you will need to set up an account that first time with your Apple ID and password, then sign in with it. You will need to use the same Apple ID over all the devices you plan to track.
Immediately after signing in, the app locates your device, whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Hopefully you’re astute enough to know where the device in your hands is and don’t need that type of information.
This particularly comes in handy if you have more than one device, meaning any combination of iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches. Once you have signed into to all the devices by turning them on in the Settings and adding in your Apple ID and password, they will come up in this listing.
Now that you found your device, you can either send a message to it or lock it from unwanted hands. The message can either be all text or a sound. Additionally, you can have the device locked up remotely, or you can also completely wipe the device. However, the warning stipulates that after it’s wiped, it no longer can be located, so it should be used as a last-ditch effort.
Those with only one device don’t need to worry. They can still use Find My iPhone. If you log on to icloud.com/find on the Internet, you can use Find My iPhone, as well as other apps in iCloud. It should be noted that it won’t allow you to log on to this on an iPad and will then need to use the app.
Choosing the Find My iPhone app online, it works very much the same way as the iOS 5 app. It shows a list of your devices and where they are located, and gives you the same options from this point as well.
The Find My iPhone app has always provided peace of mind, but with the changes that have allowed it to become a native app for iOS 5, it’s now easier to use and much more universal.
Laura has spent nearly 20 years writing news, reviews, and op-eds, with more than 10 of those years as an editor as well. She has exclusively used Apple products for the past three decades. In addition to writing and editing at MTE, she also runs the site’s sponsored review program.
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