I’m preparing to sell my iPhone next week, but I know I need to turn off Find My iPhone before resetting it. I’m not entirely sure how to do this. Can someone guide me through the steps to disable it properly?
Okay, so you wanna turn off Find My iPhone—here’s the deal: Settings is your new best friend. Pop into Settings, tap on your name (top of the screen, can’t miss it), then dive headfirst into Find My. Tap Find My iPhone and there should be a toggle that’s currently ON (duh). Flip it OFF, but wait—Apple’s not done with you yet. They’re gonna ask for your Apple ID password to “confirm.” Type it in, and bam, Find My iPhone is off. Now you’re free to reset, sell, trade, or yeet the phone across the room without worrying about it being tied to your account. Simple.
Eh, I mean, @caminantenocturno technically explained the steps, but let me add my two cents here because, let’s be real, Apple loves to make these things overly complicated (and annoying). So yeah, you could do it from Settings and follow their instructions, but there’s an alternative way if for some reason your Settings app decides to crash or freeze, as it occasionally does.
Log into iCloud.com from any web browser (on your computer or even another device). Use your Apple ID to sign in, then go to Find iPhone. Click All Devices at the top, select your iPhone, and at this point, there’ll be options like Erase iPhone or Remove from Account. You’ll want to remove it from your account to turn off the “Find My iPhone” feature for good.
Oh, and side note—don’t forget to back up all your stuff before erasing or resetting anything. Trust me, I sold a device once, got too eager, forgot to check, and lost my favorite playlist forever. These steps may sound like a pain, but you’ll thank yourself later.
So yeah, either do it directly on the phone or through iCloud; both routes work fine. Just pick whatever feels less migraine-inducing for you. Don’t forget your Apple ID password either—because Apple will low-key act like you’re committing a felony if you don’t have it.
You’ve got a couple of methods already laid out by @jeff and @caminantenocturno, but let me cut to a less explored angle here: doing a backup-first approach. Hear me out—before you even think about disabling Find My iPhone, make sure your data is safe because there’s no turning back once you wipe the phone.
Pro Tip:
Use either iCloud or iTunes/Finder on your computer to create a full backup, especially since Apple’s iCloud storage gods always seem to be stingy with that 5GB.
Here’s the rub: if you’re already set on disabling Find My iPhone, @jeff’s point about ensuring you remember your Apple ID password is critical. If you don’t, you’re basically locked out, and no one (not even tech support heroes at Apple) can help you bypass it. Fun, right?
But here’s my additional advice—you might not need to physically toggle off Find My iPhone at all if your plan is to use Erase All Content and Settings during reset. This step prompts you to disable ‘Find My iPhone’ automatically. It’s like a two-birds-one-stone solution built into iOS. Apple will still ask for your Apple ID credentials when you reset the device, so you don’t skip that part, but you won’t have to hunt around for the toggle.
Pros & Cons for the ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ shortcut:
- Pros: Streamlined! No need to turn it off in the separate Find My menu first. Saves you a few clicks.
- Cons: If your device has software bugs (just being real), this process might glitch the phone, so weigh that risk.
Now, I love the way @caminantenocturno suggested heading to iCloud via a browser—totally works if you don’t have access to the phone itself. But if the Settings app isn’t crashing (rare that it does), sticking to your iPhone feels faster and less clunky.
Quick counterpoint to @jeff and @caminantenocturno: Apple’s not necessarily overcomplicating things. The whole password-confirmation setup is there for a reason—security. It’s honestly a good thing it requires extra verification, even if it feels obnoxious in the moment.
TL;DR? Either backup, then reset your phone and disable ‘Find My iPhone’ simultaneously, or go the toggle route in Settings, assuming you remember your Apple ID! Just don’t blame me when the buyer calls you panicking about activation lock if you miss these steps. You’re welcome.