Learn how to locate a lost, misplaced or stolen Apple Watch on a map, show a custom message with your contact details or wipe it remotely using the Find My app.
Conditions for finding your Apple Watch
Before you can locate your Apple Watch in Find My, the following conditions must be met.
1. Find My must be turned on
The Find My feature must be turned on for the Apple Watch to be findable. Turning on Find My automatically enables Activation Lock, which prevents anybody else from setting up your Apple device for their own use without knowing your Apple account password.
If Find My is enabled on your iPhone, it’s automatically activated on the watch. To check, open the Settings app on your iPhone, hit your Apple account at the top, then select your Apple Watch in the list of devices, and confirm Find My Watch is ON.
2. Apple Watch must have internet connectivity
Your Apple Watch must be connected to the internet to report its location to the Find My network, or it must be nearby other Apple devices that will automatically pick up its Bluetooth signal and update its location.
- Apple Watch is within the Bluetooth range (approximately 33 feet or 10 meters) of other Apple devices in the area.
- Apple Watch is in an area with a previously joined Wi-Fi network, like your home or office.
- Apple Watch has cellular services set up and cellular data enabled.
3. Apple Watch must be powered on
Your Apple Watch must be powered on and have enough juice to relay its location to iCloud or nearby devices.
4. Time factor
Find My shows ‘No Location Found’ if your Apple Watch hasn’t been online in several days.
With basics out of the way, follow these tips to locate a missing Apple Watch and learn what to do if you cannot find it.
Beep your Apple Watch if it’s nearby
You can ping your Apple Watch from Control Center of your iPhone if it’s within Bluetooth range or through the Find My app if it’s outside the Bluetooth range and online. Start by going to the place in your house where you think you may have misplaced your Apple Watch, then follow these steps to ping it.
Ping your Apple Watch from the Control Center
Add the “Ping My Watch” button to your iPhone Control Center. Then, when you tap this button, your iPhone will instruct your Apple Watch via Bluetooth to play a tone so you can locate it. You may need to try this a few times to get the watch to ring.
Play sound via Find My
Open the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or iCloud.com and select your Apple Watch in the device list. Then, tap the Play Sound button and wait for the device to ring.
Tap the Dismiss button on the Apple Watch after you’ve located it.
See the Apple Watch location on a map
You can view the location of your Apple Watch in the Find My app. If the precise location is unavailable, Find My will display the last known or approximate location.
1) Open the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or iCloud.com.
2) Select your Apple Watch in the Devices tab.
3) You’ll see the location next to your Apple Watch name. Pan and zoom the map to see if the watch is nearby or if you’ve left it behind. Then, hit the Directions button to open the Maps app and navigate to its location.
If only the approximate location is available, you’ll see a circle on the map and your Apple Watch highlighted somewhere within that perimeter. The area can be a couple of miles in diameter, which isn’t ideal, but it’s at least something. If you think the watch is online but you’re still getting its approximate location, close and reopen the Find My app a few times or retry after a while.
Activate Lost Mode on your Apple Watch
Turning on Lost Mode in the Find My app will lock the watch remotely, provided it’s online. If you haven’t set up a passcode on your Apple Watch, you’ll be prompted to do so after turning Lost Mode on. This feature also displays your custom message on the Apple Watch screen so that the finder can contact you. Additionally, it removes all Apple Pay cards from the watch and stops anyone from erasing the device or pairing it with their iPhone unless they know the passcode.
1) Go to Find My on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or iCloud.com and select your Apple Watch in the Devices section.
2) Tap Lost Mode in the ‘Lost Apple Watch’ tile.
3) Read what happens when the device is in Lost Mode, then hit Continue.
4) Enter your phone number so that whoever finds your watch can call or text you.
5) Write a custom 70-character message to display on the watch screen. If you don’t already have a passcode set up, you’ll need to create it now. Be sure to write it down so you don’t forget it, or you won’t be able to unlock the device once you’ve found it.
6) Turn the Notify When Found switch on to be alerted the instant the watch comes back online. Review the disclaimer, then tap Activate. If the watch is online, Lost Mode will be immediately activated. Otherwise, it will be turned on when the device comes back online, if ever…
Find My continues to update your Apple Watch’s location in Lost Mode. Once you’ve found the watch, tap Unlock on its screen and enter your 4-digit passcode to turn off Lost Mode. You can also turn it off in the Find My app.
If Find My is disabled or your Apple Watch is offline
If Find My is turned off, you won’t be able to locate your Apple Watch in the Find My app. And if Find My is turned on but the watch is offline or the battery is depleted, you won’t be able to locate it either.
In those cases, your only option is to file a police complaint. When you report a missing Apple Watch, the police will ask for its unique Serial Number. If your Apple Watch has cellular connectivity, you can also provide the police with the IMEI number, which can be found in the Settings app on your iPhone.
You can remotely erase a lost Apple Watch in Find My (provider it’s online), but I only recommend doing this if you’ve given up all hope of finding it; after a remote wipe, you’ll no longer be able to track your Apple Watch in Find My.
Be advised that removing your Apple Watch from the list of devices associated with your Apple account in Settings > Apple Account > Apple Watch > Remove from Account or by choosing the Remove option in the Find My app will disable Find My and Activation Lock, which will enable the finder or thief to pair your Apple Watch with their iPhone and set it up from scratch.
Summing up
Find My realizes its full potential with devices that are always connected to the internet via mobile data, such as iPhones and cellular iPads. Other devices like the AirPods and MacBook laptops are more challenging to locate in Find My because they lack their own Internet connection and rely on nearby devices within Bluetooth range.
In my personal experience, locating the Apple Watch in Find My can be erratic. For example, sometimes Find My would display an approximate, outdated, or no location even though my Apple Watch is near my iPhone and has internet connectivity. Summing up, you may be able to locate a missing Apple Watch if you’ve recently left it behind at a familiar location like your home or office. But tracking its location becomes challenging if you’ve left your watch in a taxi, airport, or other public areas. That’s why it’s a good idea to opt for a cellular Apple Watch that can relay its location to the Find My network on its own.
Finding other Apple devices
The Find My app can be a lifesaver if you lose one or more Apple devices. Bookmark our other tutorials showing you how to locate a misplaced, lost, or stolen iPhone or iPad, or a MacBook laptop. Find My even lets you locate a lost AirPods or their charging case and accessories, such as your Apple Pencil.