How to Turn Off Find My iPhone Without Your Phone

If you're looking to sell your iPhone, you may or may not know that you'll need to turn off the Find My iPhone feature in order to do so. This tracking feature is helpful for when you've lost your iPhone but must be switched off in order to sell your device. 

Luckily, the process is simple and can be done even if your iPhone won't power on or is no longer in your posession. Read on to learn how! 

How Find My iPhone Works

Find My iPhone has some handy features to help you locate missing devices.

First, if your device is online and available, Find My iPhone can show its precise location and even prompt the phone to make noises. You can also get turn-by-turn directions to your device by tapping it on the device list within Find My iPhone and then selecting Directions. This action opens up the Maps app, which will take you to your device.

Why You Need To Disable Find My iPhone Before Trading In

Apple requires you to turn off Find My iPhone for a few reasons, the most common of which is you’re selling or trading in your device. Find My iPhone is connected to an Apple “Activation Lock” feature, which turns on automatically. Activation Lock prevents theft by connecting your device to your unique Apple ID.

For someone else to use the iPhone, you’ll have to turn off that very useful feature and remove the Activation Lock setting, as part of a plan to erase iPhone settings made for the prior user - that is, if it's not already automatically turned off. Also, Apple requires you to turn the feature off when visiting an Apple store for tech services, unlike with some earlier versions of the iPhone from past years.

In addition, you'll probably want to make some changes in the settings app, perhaps updating contacts, stored content and anything containing sensitive data, as well as resetting some of the access or service features.

How To Turn Off Find My iPhone On Your Phone

It’s a breeze to turn off Find My iPhone via your smartphone. On iOS 13 or higher, go to Settings and tap your name at the top. Click on the “Find My” button that populates in the list. Then, click on “Find My iPhone.” Tap the button to turn off the setting. Your iPhone will prompt you to enter your Apple ID password. Once you do that, you can tap “Turn Off.”

On iOS 12 and older, go to Settings, tap on your name, and then go to iCloud. At the bottom of this list, you’ll see the “Find My iPhone” button. Tap on it once to turn it off. Then, enter your password and select “Turn Off.”

How To Turn Off Find My iPhone On A Computer

There are several reasons why you should turn off Find My iPhone from your computer instead of your smartphone or tablet. For starters, you might not always have direct access to the device. Or, your device could have a broken screen that makes navigating to the settings difficult. On top of that, devices with dead or drained batteries require you to turn off find my iPhone from a computer or your desktop Apple account.

To do so, start by logging into your iCloud account. Once you have access to your account, navigate to Account Settings. From here, go to My Devices. The page should populate with a list of devices connected to your iCloud. To turn off the Find My iPhone feature, you need to disconnect the device from your iCloud account. Remove your chosen device from the list by clicking the blue cross button to the right of it. This action disconnects the device and turns off Find My iPhone automatically.

Sell your iphone for instant cash

Don't wait! Bring your old phones to your local kiosk and get paid. 

Prepare Your iPhone for ecoATM 

Are you looking to sell your iPhone or other Apple device? ecoATM is the convenient and simple option to help you get paid instant cash for your used devices, like an iPhone or Apple watch, or an iPad. With over 5,000 locations across the country in various retailers, the odds are likely that you have a kiosk in your very own neighborhood! 

Once you have your Find My iPhone feature turned off, you can find your nearest ecoATM and start selling today.