How to find your missing Apple Watch
Track it down, whether it’s under your bed or miles away
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The problem with small devices such as yourApple Watchis that they’re easily lost. ButApple’s thought of that, and it can find yourApple Watchwhether it’s down the side of the sofa, left at work or stolen.
If you think it’s somewhere nearby, you can play a sound to locate your watch; if that doesn’t work, you can use GPS to find its location on a map, put it in Lost Mode so strangers can contact you, or remotely erase its data. They’re the same tools that Apple uses to locate itsApple AirTags.
Unfortunately, many of these tools only work if you have Find My iPhone set upbeforelosing your Apple Watch. So our ability to help you will vary based on that prerequisite.
In this tutorial, we’ll show how to locate your Apple Watch using your iPhone oriCloud.com, how to find it when it’s lost or stolen, and how to check if you have Find My Watch activated.
How to find your nearby Apple Watch using sounds
The key to tracking down your Apple Watch lies in the newFind My app, so open that up. If you’re not sure where to find the app itself, check the App Library by swiping left through your home screens, or swipe down in the middle of the home screen to pull up an app search bar.
In the app, select theDevices tab, where you should see your paired Apple Watch. Select it, and you should instantly see a map showing the watch’s current or last known location. If you’re nearby, you should also see an icon of your iPhone on the map.
Underneath the map, you’ll see a series of Find My controls. For this section, we’re assuming your Apple Watch is close enough to be heard.
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TapPlay Soundto make your Apple Watch emit an increasingly loud chime. It will blare out this noise for two minutes, even if your watch is in silent mode; if that isn’t enough time, you can tap Play Sound again and keep searching.
Find your Apple Watch using Apple Maps
Your ability to see an accurate, current location of your missing Apple Watch will vary based on whether your Apple Watch model has GPS and/or cellular, if the Watch still has power, and which Find My settings you have enabled or disabled.
Without cellular data, your Apple Watch won’t be able to transmit its location unless it happens to be connected to a Wi-Fi network. But if you have theFind My Networkenabled, Apple will use strangers' Apple devices to detect and transmit your watch’s location (assuming it’s still turned on).
If Apple has a fix on its location, you’ll be able to see its position in theFind My app. If not, Apple may be able to show you itslast tracked locationif you had that setting turned on beforehand.
Open the same menu as before:Find My app > Devices > [Your name’s] Apple Watch. SelectDirections. This tool inserts your watch’s GPS location as the destination inApple Mapsand guides you until you find it.
(If you’ve uninstalled Apple Maps, you’ll need to redownload it before you can use this tool.)
Once you get close, you can go back intoFind My, tap thePlay Soundcommand and hope that you can hear it nearby.
Find your Apple Watch using iCloud
This scenario mainly applies if you’realsomissing your iPhone for whatever reason. But you can also search for your missing Apple Watch (and iPhone) on your computer if you prefer.
Go toicloud.comand sign in using yourApple ID. Choose theFind iPhoneicon. You’ll be taken to a map showingAll Devices; click on that drop-down menu to find yourApple Watchand select it. You’ll see its current or approximate location, plus options toPlay Sound, turn onLost Mode, or remotelyErase Apple Watch.
What to do if your Apple Watch is lost or stolen
If you think someone stole your Apple Watch, or you left it somewhere in public where anyone could find it, don’t delay. Your best chance for getting it back – or preventing someone from erasing its data and reselling it – is to put it in Lost Mode as quickly as possible.
InFind My app > Devices > [Your name’s] Apple Watch, scroll down to findMark as LostandActivateit. You’ll be prompted to add a phone number and an optional message; this info will appear on the display if someone finds and turns on your Apple Watch, so they can contact you to return it. TapActivateagain to confirm that the watch is lost.
Because you have Find My activated,Activation Lockwill also be enabled by default. This means that no one who finds your watch will be able to unlock and use it without your Apple ID and password.
Ideally, you’ll find your missing watch or a good samaritan will return it to you. Once it’s back in your possession, go back to theMark as Lostmenu option and select it, then chooseTurn Off Mark As Lostand confirm your choice. This will signal to Apple that it’s safely back in your possession, so you can use it freely again.
On the other hand, if you think someone has stolen your Apple Watch and may have access to its data, we recommend youchange your Apple ID passwordinSettings > Your Name > Password & Securityto limit their access to your other information.
You could then go toicloud.com, log in, go toAccount Settings, find your Apple Watch, and remove it from your list of trusted devices.
Finally, if you want to remote-wipe your Apple Watch so it removes your data as soon as it is turned on and connected to wi-fi, go to theFind My app > Devices, select the stolen Watch, scroll down to the bottom of the menu, and chooseErase This Device.
The best settings for finding your missing Apple Watch
This section mainly applies for preventingfutureloss of your Apple Watch (or other devices). Turning these on now won’t help you to locate your missing Apple Watch. Still, we hope this guide will help you to keep track of your next Apple Watch.
The most important thing to do is activateFind My iPhone, because this causes Apple to automatically track your Apple Watch as well. Go toSettings > Your Name > Find My > Find My iPhone.
Turn on all three options:Find My iPhonelets your Apple Watch appear in the Find My app;Find My networklets Apple locate your devices using other nearby iPhones to triangulate the location; andSend Last Locationtells Apple where your device was right before its battery died.
You’ll also need to turn oniPhone location servicesin case you turned it off. Go toSettings > Privacy > Location Servicesand activate it.
With all of these enabled, your Apple Watch should also be trackable by default. If you’re uncertain, open the Find My app or log into iCloud and check to see if your Apple Watch shows up on the map.
Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir,Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock bandUnquiet Mind.
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