Find My is a vital iPhone security feature that you should keep on almost all the time. Turning it off makes your device much harder to recover. There are times when turning off Find My is necessary, but you should always have it on otherwise to keep your phone safe.

Apple's Find My service helps you locate your iPhone, iPad, or other Apple device that has been lost, stolen, or misplaced. It relies on a crowdsourced network where other people's Apple devices use Bluetooth to detect your item's location. While the feature can be a life-saver, Apple recommends disabling Find My before selling, giving away, or trading in your device, as well as for repairs.

If you're selling or giving away your device, factory resetting it (Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings) automatically disables Find My. This also disables Activation Lock, which prevents thieves from wiping and reselling your phone. For repairs without a reset, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My and toggle off Find My iPhone. This option is grayed out if Stolen Device Protection is enabled (default as of iOS 26.4), so you must disable that first in Settings > Face ID & Passcode.

Turning off Find My also stops location sharing with friends and family. Instead of disabling the entire suite, you can stop sharing with specific people via the Find My app's People tab. Keep Find My on otherwise to maintain security and recovery capabilities.