Turning Off Find My iPhone

If you’re no longer using an iOS device, an Apple Watch, AirPods, or a Mac, you can remove it from Find My iPhone. When you remove a device, it’s removed from your Devices list, and Activation Lock is also turned off.

Before giving away or selling your iOS device, be sure to erase your content and settings (in Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings). When you erase your content, Find My iPhone and Activation Lock are also turned off. For more information, see the Apple Support article What to do before you sell or give away your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. For more information about what to do before selling or giving away Apple Watch, see Sell, give away, or protect a lost Apple Watch in the Apple Watch User Guide.

Note: Apple Watch and AirPods remain in Find My iPhone until you also remove any devices they’re paired with.

Remove an iOS device or Mac

  • On an iOS device: Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud, then turn off Find My [device].

  • On a Mac: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click iCloud, then deselect Find My Mac.

    Note: You can also remove your device by turning off iCloud on that device. Turning off iCloud turns off all iCloud features on the device.

Remove Apple Watch or AirPods

To remove Apple Watch or AirPods, make sure that they’re offline, then remove them from Find My iPhone on iCloud.com.

Note: You can also remove Apple Watch by following the instructions in Remove an iOS device, Apple Watch, or Mac you no longer have. You can later restore Apple Watch from an iCloud or iTunes backup.

  1. Do any of the following:

    • Turn off Apple Watch.

    • Put AirPods in their case.

  2. Sign in to Find My iPhone on this device with your Apple ID (the one you use with iCloud).

  3. In the Devices list, swipe left on the device, then tap Remove.

If your Apple Watch or AirPods come online again, they reappear in Find My iPhone. If the device reappears, unpair it in Bluetooth Settings on all of your devices.

Remove an iOS device, Apple Watch, or Mac you no longer have

If you no longer have the iOS device, Apple Watch, or Mac because you gave it away or sold it, you need to remotely erase it before you can remove it. With Apple Watch, you must have watchOS 3 or later installed to remove a device.

  1. Sign in to Find My iPhone on this device with your Apple ID (the one you use with iCloud).

  2. In the Devices list, tap the device you want to erase and remove.

  3. Tap Actions, tap Erase [device], then enter your Apple ID password or your family member’s Apple ID password. Because the device isn’t lost, don’t enter a phone number or message.

    The Erase device button in the bottom-right of the screen.

    If the device is offline , the remote erase begins the next time it’s online . You receive an email when the device is erased.

    Any credit or debit cards set up for Apple Pay on your device are removed from your device if you erase it, even if it’s offline. Apple Pay is also disabled for your device. For more information, see the Apple Support articles Use Wallet on your iPhone or iPod touch and Use Touch ID on MacBook Pro.

  4. When the device is erased, tap Remove from Account. If you don’t see Remove from Account, tap the arrow , swipe left on the device, then tap Remove.

    All your content is erased, and someone else can now activate the device.

You can also find instructions for removing a device on iCloud.com. Click the Help button , then go to Find My iPhone > Remove.

Note: If you’re not using one of your trusted devices, you’re asked to enter the passcode of the iOS device you’re erasing. If you can’t enter the passcode, or if you’re erasing a Mac, the remote erase could be delayed for a few hours to help ensure the request is not the result of any fraudulent activity. For more information about trusted devices, see the Apple Support article Two-factor authentication for Apple ID.

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