Got a tip for us?Let us know

a. Send us an email
b. Anonymous form

Apple's New 'Find My' App for macOS and iOS Can Find Your Devices Even When They're Offline

Monday June 3, 2019 11:58 AM PDT by Mitchel Broussard

Apple's "Find My Friends" app is being revamped in macOS Catalina and iOS 13, and will now be called simply "‌Find My‌." The new version of the app combines ‌Find My‌ iPhone and ‌Find My‌ Friends.

The major feature of the updated app is that it can now locate Apple devices that are offline, making it even easier to find your ‌iPhone‌ or MacBook if you ever happen to lose it.

Apple said that when a device is offline and sleeping, it sends out a secure Bluetooth beacon that can be detected by other Apple devices nearby, even the ones owned by other people. This results in a network that works to find lost Apple devices through a secure, encrypted, and anonymous signal relay.

Tag: WWDC 2019

Top Rated Comments

d5aqoëp

67 months ago

This feature gets a thumbs up from me.

Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)

benshive

67 months ago

Creepy

Not really. I think it's really cool. Just taking advantage of the fact that you're probably always within a few feet of another iPhone.

Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

ASFx

67 months ago

What kind of battery drainage should we expect from a constant Bluetooth signal being emitted? Just curious.....

Bluetooth is an extremely low power tech. if it's anything like the power consumption used on the Tile devices, it will be completely unnoticeable. Tiles run on a single small battery for over a year.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

NickName99

67 months ago

Wow, this is a really powerful feature. I definitely wouldn’t trust it from anyone but Apple; implemented carelessly, it could potentially lead to offline device hacking.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

r98266

67 months ago

Creepy

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Codpeace

67 months ago

This is super cool! Wow...

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Read All Comments

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...

• 130 comments

Apple Intelligence Now Available in New iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia Developer Betas

Monday July 29, 2024 10:07 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple is today providing developers with the first betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, with the new software introducing an early version of the Apple Intelligence features. These new betas will be in testing alongside the current iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia 15 betas. Developers can choose whether to opt into the new betas with Apple Intelligence, or stay on the ...

• 347 comments

Report: Apple Intelligence Delayed to iOS 18.1 in October

Sunday July 28, 2024 11:52 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple Intelligence will miss its initial expected launch date to give Apple more time to fix bugs, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. According to individuals with knowledge about Apple's plans, the company now plans to start rolling out Apple Intelligence in software updates by October, arriving several weeks after the launch of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. This means that Apple...

• 236 comments

T-Mobile Sued for Breaking Lifetime Price Guarantees

Friday July 26, 2024 2:44 pm PDT by Juli Clover

T-Mobile customers have filed a lawsuit [PDF] against the carrier, alleging that it failed to honor a guarantee not to raise the prices of select cellular plans. The lawsuit, first spotted by Wired, claims that back in 2017, T-Mobile advertised several of its plans with a price lock, but then went on to increase prices starting in May 2024. "T-Mobile ONE customers keep their price until...

• 121 comments