Apple’s Find My app has helped me locate my luggage in a busy airport, find a single missing AirPod, and it ensure I know where all my devices are. But before I trade-in or get rid of an iPhone, I always turn Find My off. And Apple suggests you turn this feature off before you give it away or get your iPhone serviced at an Apple Store or authorized service provider.
Disabling Find My on an iPhone before you give it away turns off its Activation Lock feature. This feature could prevent others from using the device, so it is great if your iPhone is stolen or someone else has it. However, if you give your iPhone to a friend, Activation Lock could prevent them from using your former device. Luckily, you can turn Find My off in a few easy steps.
Read more: Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2025
Here’s how to turn Find My off before you get rid of your old iPhone.
How to turn Find My off
1. Tap Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap your name across the top of the menu.
3. Tap Find My.
4. Tap Find My iPhone.
5. In the new menu, toggle off Find My iPhone.
Now you should be good to give your iPhone away, but if you have Stolen Device Protection turned on, you won’t be able to turn Find My off. If you do have Stolen Device Protection turned on, here’s how to disable it so you can turn Find My off.
1. Tap Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap Face ID & Passcode. You might have to enter your Passcode here to continue.
3. Tap Stolen Device Protection.
4. In the new menu, toggle on Stolen Device Protection.
Once Stolen Device Protection is disabled, follow the steps above to turn off Find My. But before you give away your iPhone, don’t forget to remove all of your personal information then factory reset your device, just in case. You don’t want any of that information floating around. For more on Apple, check out everything the company announced at WWDC 2025 and what to know about iOS 26, the upcoming iPhone software.