In today’s age, where our lives depend on our smartphones for so many things, it can become very frustrating if we are left without them. We all have misplaced or lost our iPhones at some point in our lives. Fortunately for us, Apple has a feature called ‘Find My iPhone’, which tackles this specific problem. It is a very useful feature if you ever lose your iPhone. But there are cases where you would want to disable this feature. In this article, we show you various methods that explain how to turn off Find My iPhone/iPad without password, depending on your iOS version.
What Is Find My iPhone?
Find My iPhone is a service/app developed by Apple that allows users to track their iPhone, iPad, and other iOS devices remotely. How it works is that the user can use the app on another device to check the last known location of the misplaced/lost device. This feature only works when you have enabled ‘Find My iPhone’ in your phone settings. Conversely, there might be cases where it becomes vital to disable this feature. For instance, if you decide to sell your device or exchange it for a newer model, you must make sure that the feature is turned off and your account is disabled to prevent tracking and monitoring of your activities. You must also remember to turn it off when giving away your device for service repairs.
Method 1. Turn Off Find My iPhone without Password Using an iCloud Activation Lock Removal Tool
iCloud Activation is a security feature of iOS which was introduced to prevent its users from resetting or activating a device without having the iCloud account information/Apple ID. iCloud Activation is activated when a user turns on the Find my iPhone feature on their device. Various tools offer this service, one of which is Tenorshare 4MeKey.
This tool/software can be downloaded to your system and be used in any of the following scenarios:
- User forgets Apple ID and password to activate iPhone
- Unlock Apple ID without password
- Turn off Find my iPhone/iPad without password
Let us see how to turn off Find My iPhone without password using the Tenorshare 4MeKey iCloud Activation Lock Removal Tool. This can be achieved by following the below-mentioned steps:
Step1. Connect:
Connect your iPhone to your computer. Download the software and install it. Launch the software, and the interface pops up.
Now click ‘Start’ and agree to the terms and conditions.
Step 2. Jailbreak
Before you start unlocking your iCloud account, the software will Jailbreak your device. Click the ‘Jailbreak tutorial’ where you will find the readable guide, which provides detailed instructions on downloading the jailbreak tools on your computer and the steps for jailbreaking.
Select ‘Start Jailbreak’ and complete the process.
Step 3. Remove successfully: Now restart your computer and launch the software again. After jailbreak, the device information will be confirmed. Now click ‘Start Remove’.
The iCloud Activation Lock will be removed in minutes. Click ‘Done.’
Now you can comfortably set up your iPhone without the activation lock.
Method 2. Disable Find My iPhone Online
Users can also disable the Find My iPhone feature online using the IMEI unlock method. IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. It is a 15-digit unique code that helps identify a phone. You can think of it as a sort of unique fingerprint of your iPhone. IMEI numbers are shared by phone manufacturers and service providers to enable the tracking of stolen or lost devices. This method can also be used to turn off Find My iPad without password.
You can avail of numerous services to disable Find My iPhone online. IMEI Unlock Sim is one of the pioneers in offering this service. Before starting the process, you have to make sure that your particular IMEI number shows iCloud Locked in the Apple Database. This method is legal and officially works on any IMEI number locked.
It is important to note that this method will permanently delete your old iCloud address from your device. However, you will be able to add a new address and use the device as a new one.
To use this method, you need to find out your IMEI number using any of the below ways:
Way 1
Go to ‘General’ à ‘Settings’ à ‘About’ on your iPhone. You will be able to see your IMEI number on the screen now.
Way 2
The second method is to dial *#06#, and your IMEI number will appear on the screen. If your iPhone is not activated, you will see a sign (i) on the bottom-right corner of your screen. On clicking that sign, your IMEI number is displayed. Refer to the below image.
Once your IMEI number is known, you can visit IMEI Unlock Sim and follow the steps provided below:
- Select your iPhone model from the drop-down
- Enter your IMEI number
- Click on the ‘Unlock Now’ button and proceed to make the payment and provide your details.
It usually takes around 3-5 days for the process to complete. After it is done, all you need to do is create a new iCloud account, and you’re all set to use your device as a fresh new one.
Method 3. Turn Off Find My iPhone without Password Using DNS Bypass (iOS 8 to iOS 10)
Here we have another method that answers how to disable find my iPhone without password? This method is relatively unknown and only works on selected versions of iOS, namely iOS 8 to iOS 10. These versions were found to contain some lapses that could be exploited or hacked to disable the Find My iPhone feature. The trick here is to change the DNS server addresses on your iPhone to point to another server.
Even though this method works effectively, it is not a permanent fix and does come with its set of pros and cons, as discussed below:
Pros
- DNS Bypass method is completely free of cost
- No equipment or external computers are needed
- It is quick and easy and provides a temporary solution
Cons
- Access to some of the apps and features is restricted after this
- It does not disable the feature, blocks the Apple server
- If the device is restarted, the feature gets enabled again
- Only works on iOS 8 to iOS 10
Let us see the steps to make this method work:
1. Go to ‘Settings’ on your iPhone. Tap on ‘Wi-Fi.’
2. Locate the connected Wi-Fi network and press the ‘ i ’ icon next to it.
3. Now tap on ‘Configure DNS’ and enter the below IP addresses manually.
USA 104.154.51.7
South America 35.199.88.219
Europe 104.155.28.90
Asia 104.155.220.58
Australia and Oceania 35.189.47.23
Other continents 104.155.28.90
After performing the above steps, you can go back to your settings and disable the feature.
Method 4. Turn Off Find My iPhone without Password from Settings (iOS 7)
If you are running iOS 7 on your device, there is a security issue, particularly with this OS, that can be exploited to turn off Find My iPhone without password. This straightforward method will disable the feature by just deleting your account on your iPhone.
This method also doesn’t require equipment or tools and can be done directly using your device. However, this method does not always work and may require a couple of attempts from your end.
The steps involved are listed below:
1. Open the ‘Settings’ and tap on ‘iCloud’. Then select the ‘Delete Account’ option.
2. Your device will get stuck on this screen. Now press and hold the Power button to turn off your device. Wait for around a minute and turn it back on.
3. After the device has rebooted, again go to Settings à iCloud and tap on ‘Delete Account’.
This should now have removed the account, and you will be able to sign out of Find My iPhone without password successfully.
Bonus Tips: How to Turn Off Find My iPhone with Password
Now that we have seen so many methods to turn off Find My iPhone without a password let us have a quick glance at the methods that can be used to turn off Find My iPhone when the password is available to you.
Tip 1. Turn Off Find My iPhone with Password from Settings
The feature can be easily turned off by following these below steps:
1. Go to ‘Settings’
2. Tap on <Your Name>’
3. Tap on iCloud and tap Find My iPhone
4. Move the slider to the left end to turn it off. You will be asked to enter your Apple ID and password.
Tip 2. Turn Off Find My iPhone with Password Using iCloud
While you can disable the feature using the specific device settings, Apple has also provided an additional way to turn off Find My iPhone/iPad using your iCloud account.
The steps for it are as follows:
1. Go to icloud.com and log in using your credentials
2. Navigate to Find My iPhone
3. Click ‘All Devices’ and select the device for which you want to disable the feature.
4. Click ‘Remove from Account’
FAQs
Q1: Is it recommended to disable the Find My iPhone feature?
A: Ideally, it is not recommended to disable the feature as it is quite helpful in case of theft or misplacement of the device.
Q2: When should Find My iPhone be disabled?
A: If you are selling, giving away, or trading your iPhone, this feature should be disabled so that your activities are not tracked by somebody else.
Q3: Is it legal to use IMEI unlock feature and/or iCloud Activation Lock Removal tool?
A: Yes, it is legal to avail of these services. Jailbreaking is not illegal
Q4: Is this feature available only for iPhone?
A: This feature is provided by Apple for all its iOS devices like the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods. Although the methods will vary according to the iOS versions.
Conclusion
Find My iPhone is one of the best features that Apple has developed for the safety of its devices. Even though it is always recommended to keep this feature enabled on your devices, a case can also be made to keep this feature disabled to protect the privacy of the user.
It must also be disabled in case you are selling or trading your device for a new one. Or even when you are giving it away for service or repairs, you must make sure that this feature is turned off.
We have shown above the various methods to disable the feature without even using the password. There are direct as well as remote deactivation methods. These methods work specific to different versions of iOS and are effective in case you do not have the iCloud password.
Ultimately, it is your choice whether you want to keep this feature enabled or disabled.
