Things You May Not Know About Find My iPhone

Anyone who has ever lost or misplaced an iPhone before knows the value of having Find My iPhone, a tool that allows you to track your lost or stolen phone on a map. But, there’s a lot more to Find My iPhone than just this basic tracking feature. Here are a few things you may not know about this helpful tool:

Suspends your credit cards.

If you activate the lost mode on Find My iPhone, it signals to Apple that you have no idea where your phone may be. Apple will immediately begin to attempt to suspend all of your credit and debit cards stored in your Apple wallet so whoever finds your phone cannot charge payments to your accounts. Although this is an incredibly useful feature on Find My iPhone, not many Apple users are aware of it.

You have to activate Find My iPhone to use it.

iPhone owners may assume Find My iPhone will work with any iPhone, but if the tool is turned off on your device, you won’t be able to use it when it goes missing or is stolen. All iPhone users should keep Find My iPhone activated at all times because of the many benefits it brings. To check if you have it activated, go to your settings and tap on “iCloud”. Scroll down to the bottom and you will see “Find My iPhone.” Make sure it says “On,” and if not, activate it right away so you can protect your phone and personal information.

Turn it off when you sell your phone.

The only time you should turn off Find My iPhone is if you are selling or giving your phone to someone else. Turning this tool off ensures whomever gets your phone next can activate and use all features without disruption. Apple recommends you erase all content and settings from your phone by going to your settings, tapping on “general”, “reset”, and then “erase all content and settings”. Going through these steps will turn off Find My iPhone and get your phone ready to be handed over to the next owner.

You can erase your device.

Many Apple users are also unaware that you cannot only lock your phone using Find My iPhone, but you can completely erase it, too. However, it’s important to keep in mind you will no longer be able to track your phone or use any features on Find My iPhone once you have chosen to erase your device. Erasing your iPhone should only be used as a last resort when you are convinced you will not retrieve the device again. Although you won’t get the device back, at least all of your personal information will be wiped from the phone.

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