This week, I thought I’d recap how to use the Find My Device feature on your smartphone, tablet or laptop. Apple has had this feature built into its devices for a while now, and last week, Google launched its own “Find My Device” app for Android.
You can use these features to find your phone, tablet or MacBook if it gets lost or stolen. So I thought I’d give you all a quick recap on how to set these features up, so that if you ever need to use them, you can do.
On an iPhone or iPad
Open the Settings app and tap on your name at the top of the list of categories. Tap on “Find My”, then on “Find my iPhone/iPad” at the top. Tap on the switch on the next screen to switch it on (if it isn’t on already).
On a MacBook
Click on the Apple icon in the very top corner of the screen, then click on “System Settings” (or “System Preferences” on older Macs). You need to turn on Location Services first, so click on “Privacy & Security” in the list of categories.
Click on “Location Services” on the right, then click on the switch to turn it on (if it isn’t on already). Then have a look at the list of apps underneath, and make sure that the switch next to “Find My” is switched on.
After that, click on your name at the top of the list of categories on the left, then click on “iCloud”. Under the “Apps Using iCloud” heading, click on “Find My Mac” (if you can’t see it, click on “Show More Apps” first). If it isn’t switched on already, click on “Turn On”, click on “Allow”, and then enter your password when it asks you to.
On a Windows laptop
Open the Settings app and click on either “Privacy & security” (on Windows 11) or “Update & Security” (on Windows 10). Then click on “Find my device”, and make sure it says “ON” next to “Find my device”.
On an Android device
Open the Play Store and search for “Google Find My Device”. The one you’re looking for has an icon that looks like a multicoloured boiled sweet. Tap on “Install” to download it. When it finishes installing, tap on “Open”. Sign into your Google account and your device should appear listed on the screen.