Whether you have an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or AirTag, you can use Apple's Find My network to locate a device. Find My works by connecting all iDevices that you have opted in for the service, allowing even offline products to exchange data with Apple's server through piggybacking on a nearby online device. Through this service, you get to locate, erase, ping, and do more with a device, including AirTags and other third-party trackers. While it sounds simple, there's a lot for which you can use the Find My app.
5 creative ways to use an AirTag
There are many use cases for Apple's tracker, and here are some of the most creative ones
How to add items or share a location to Find My
You may have noticed when opening the Find My app that in every tab (which we'll go over later), there's a plus (+) button on the bottom, left. This button works similarly across all tabs. When you tap it, you get four options, allowing you to share your location with a friend, add a compatible MagSafe accessory like Apple's MagSafe Wallet, pair an AirTag, or pair a third-party Find My tracker.
The process to share your location or add an item to the app are super simple. For the former, tap Share My Location and choose the desired contact from the list, followed by the duration of permitted live location access. As for the latter, if you're not sure how to set up or use an AirTag, we've prepared a dedicated guide for that.
People
The first tab you'll see in the Find My app is People. Here you get to view the live location of anyone who has given you access. Those with newer iPhones can even share their precise location in real-time, allowing users to view almost every step they're taking as it happens.
When you click on a friend's name, you get a panel showing several buttons. You can view their contact information, navigate to their location through the Maps app, add notifications for when they arrive at or leave a certain location, favorite them, give their current location a name, like Home, share your own location with them, or stop receiving their location. You can even navigate to them using Apple Maps by selecting Directions.
This feature is ideal for your close friends and family since it requires a fair amount of trust. Ideally, it's great for parents to use with tweens and teens who have their own cell phone so you can keep on top of their location to ensure they arrived safely at school, for example, or haven't left the boundaries of the neighborhood where they are permitted to play. It can come in handy for elderly parents as well, so you can track their location in case of emergency.
Devices
The second tab you'll see is Devices, arguably the most important section of the app. Here, you can see a list of your main Apple devices, along with those of users in the same iCloud Family. These include iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, AirPods, and more.
When you tap on a device name, a panel appears, allowing you to view its last seen location and approximate battery level. You can also mark a device as lost, ping it with an audible sound, set left-behind notifications, and add a message if someone finds it. If you're in a bind, you can also remotely erase a device and remove it from your account as a last resort.
Items
The third tab is Items, where your AirTags and Find My-certified trackers live. When selecting an item, you get a similar panel to the one found with Devices. So you can ping an item, navigate to it, mark it as lost, rename it, set left-behind notifications, enable found notifications, or remove it from your account.
More interestingly, you might notice a button called Identify Found Item at the bottom. If you find someone else's AirTag or Find My tracker, you can use this button to scan it. If the owner has marked it as lost, then you will be able to view their contact information and reach out to them to arrange a meetup. It's also a great way to scan your surroundings if you believe someone is following you with a Find My-enabled tracker. While iOS automatically scans for these items in the background occasionally, using this button can further contribute to your peace of mind.
Me
Last, there's the Me tab, which is there for personal-related matters. There you get to give your current location a custom label, such as Home or Work. You also get to view the iDevice you've picked to transmit your live location to your chosen friends. Additionally, you get to disable friend requests completely and customize relevant notification settings. Clicking on either of the two customize notifications buttons redirects you to the Notifications section of the Settings app, where you get the typical app notification options and privileges, such as revoking the permission, opting for temporary or persistent banners, whether they appear on the Lock Screen, and so on.
At the very bottom, there's a link that launches the Find My web app in your browser, allowing a friend of yours to sign in to their account to locate their lost iDevice from your iPhone.
Find My is really useful
The Find My app, available for virtually any iPhone from the newest models like the iPhone 15 Pro Max down to older ones that are still supported, is pretty simple to use. It can come in handy for parents, caregivers for the elderly, or family members and friends who want to keep on top of one anothers' locations. Arguably most importantly, you can use it to keep track of all your Apple devices so you never lose or misplace a set of keys again, or you can find exactly where your child left their iPhone. With the network of Find My users and the ability to notify someone else if you find their device, Find My is one of those features on your phone you should always leave on.