Troubleshooting

Learn how to find a dead iPhone by enabling the Find My iPhone last known location feature, how to find the last location of an iPhone, even if it's dead or offline, what to do once you've located your lost iPhone, and how to find an iPhone without Find My iPhone.

Jump To:

• How to Find a Dead iPhone: Set Up Find My iPhone Last Known Location
• How to Find a Lost iPhone: The Basics
• How to Find a Lost iPhone without Find My iPhone

How to Find a Dead iPhone: Set Up Find My iPhone Last Known Location

Does Find My iPhone work when a phone is dead? Yes, if you've set up the Find My iPhone last known location feature. If you don't have this feature turned on, it will be much harder to find an iPhone that is dead. The catch is that you need to have turned this feature on before your iPhone was lost.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on your name.
   
   
3. Tap Find My.
   
   
4. Tap Find My iPhone.
   
   
5. Toggle on Send Last Location, which will automatically send the location of your device to Apple when its battery is low. 
   
   

Pro Tip: You can also use Find My to set up alerts on your Apple Watch so that you never forget your phone. These can be set up for your phone and other devices and items.

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How to Find a Lost iPhone: The Basics

In this section we'll show you how to find a lost iPhone that is dead using the Find My app or iCloud.com. If your iPhone is dead, you'll be directed to the last place your iPhone was located before the battery died. If your lost iPhone is offline but not dead, then the Find My app will find the lost iPhone's current location using nearby Apple devices. 

You have three options for how to find the last location of an iPhone using Find My. Once you've found the location of your lost iPhone, the steps are the same: 

• How to Find a Lost iPhone with a Different Apple Device.
• How to Find a Lost iPhone with Cloud.com.
• How to Find a Lost iPhone with a Friend’s iPhone or iPad.
• How to Recover a Lost iPhone Once You've Located It.

Note: If your iPhone is turned on and in the same location as you, you don’t need the Find My app, instead, you can ping a lost iPhone with an Apple Watch or use Siri to find your lost iPhone. 

How to Find a Lost iPhone with a Different Apple Device

If you own an iPad or Mac or you share your location with a Family Sharing Group and have access to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac belonging a group member, you can use one of those devices to find your lost iPhone even if it's dead. 

1. Open the Find My app on the device you're using.
   
   

2. Tap the Devices tab.
   
   
3. A map will pop up with a list of your Find My-enabled devices.
4. Select your iPhone from the list of devices.
   
   

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How to Find a Dead iPhone with iCloud.com

If you need to track your iPhone using iCloud.com's Find My iPhone app from a laptop or desktop web browser, here’s how:

1. Open a browser and go to icloud.com.
2. Sign in using your Apple ID and password.
   
   
3. If prompted, click Allow to allow use of iCloud.com on the device you're using and complete two-factor authorization.
   
   
4. Click the Find iPhone app icon.
   
   
5. Select All Devices at the top and choose your missing iPhone.
   
   
6. The map will display where your lost iPhone is located.
   
   

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How to Find a Lost iPhone with Someone Else's iPhone

When using a different iPhone tied to someone else's Apple ID to find a lost iPhone that is dead, don't sign out from their ID in Settings; use the Me tab in the Find My app to log in remotely. Don't forget to sign out when you're done so that you don't stay signed in on your friend's iPhone.

1. Open the Find My app on your friend's iPhone.
   
   
2. Select the Me tab.
   
   
3. Scroll down and tap Help A Friend.
   
   
4. You will be asked to log into iCloud. If prompted to log in using Touch or Face ID, select Use Different Apple ID at the bottom of the pop-up notification.
5. Log in using your own Apple ID and password.
6. When prompted to save your password, select Not Now.
7. To find your lost iPhone, tap on it in the list of devices that appears at the bottom of the screen.
   
   
8. The screen will display a circle around the area where your iPhone is located, and will zoom in if necessary.
   
   

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How to Recover a Lost iPhone Once You've Located It

It's important to note that if you suspect your iPhone has been stolen, you should contact local authorities. Please do not attempt to recover the stolen phone yourself, but instead follow our guide for what to do if your iPhone is permanently lost or stolen, as these steps will be different from those needed to find a lost phone with the Find My last known location feature.

1. If your lost iPhone is dead or turned off, it will appear on the map as an iPhone with a black screen, and you'll see red text in the sidebar telling you when the Find My iPhone last known location was saved. 
   
   
2. If your iPhone is turned on, it will appear with an active (colorful) Home screen, and you'll see a battery icon shown in the sidebar showing remaining battery life.
   
   
3. Use the map to locate your iPhone if it's nearby, or tap on Directions to get Apple Maps directions for your lost iPhone's location if it's farther away.
   
   
4. If the iPhone is offline but not dead, you can tap Play Sound to help you locate your iPhone when you get close to it.
   
   
5. If the iPhone is dead, you can swipe up on the sidebar and toggle on Notify When Found to send notifications and a location update to your iPad the next time your lost iPhone is turned on.
   
   
6. Lost Mode will remotely lock your device and display a custom message with a phone number where you can be reached in case someone finds your lost iPhone. Learn more about what Lost Mode does. 
   
   
7. Erase iPhone should only be used if you think your iPhone is permanently lost or stolen, and then only after certain other steps.
   
   

How accurate is Find My iPhone? Quite! Read about it here.

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How to Find a Lost iPhone without Find My iPhone

Unfortunately, if you don’t have Find My iPhone enabled, you’ll need to resort to retracing your steps to find an iPhone last known location, unless you’ve enabled location history for Google Maps. Location history with Google maps will be able to tell you the last location of your lost iPhone even without Find My iPhone. If you haven't enabled Google Maps location history, consider doing it now in case you lose the phone in the future.

1. Head over to www.google.com/maps/timeline.
2. Make sure you’re logged into your Google account.
3. Select the date your iPhone went missing.
4. Check your last location and go get that phone! 

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Upgrading your iPhone to iOS 15 comes with many great features, but sometimes it can prevent newly downloaded apps from appearing on your Home screen. App not showing up? Here’s why you might be missing apps and how you can fix it.

Jump To:

• Use the App Library to Place an App on Your Home Screen
• Use Spotlight to Search for & Open a Missing App
• Use Settings to Make New Apps Show Up on the Home Screen
• Restore Hidden Home Screen Pages to Find Missing Apps

Finding Downloads: App Not Showing on iPhone

Although one of the aims of iOS updates is to better organize and freshen your app collection, it can sometimes have the opposite effect. Certain settings and features can prevent new app downloads from being readily visible on your Home screen. The troubleshooting tips below should help you locate the app you're looking for and place it exactly where you want it. Remember, if you regret a download you can always learn how to delete apps on an iPhone. 

Can’t Find an App on Your iPhone? Use the App Library

It’s important to know that when newly downloaded apps are missing from your iPhone’s Home screen, they are merely hidden. They can easily be found, accessed and added to your Home screen. This can be done in the App Library. Read on to learn how to see hidden apps on iPhone.

1. Go to the App Library by swiping left on your Home screen until you've gone one screen past your last Home screen page.
   
   
2. Tap into the search bar and type in the name of the app you're looking for. If you do not want to use the search bar, you can simply scroll through the apps in the App Library.
   
   
    
3. Once you find the app you're looking for, tap and hold the app icon, then drag it in any direction and it will be added to the last page of your Home screen.
   
   

Related: How to Use the iPhone App Library

Use Spotlight to Search for & Open a Missing App

If you rarely use a certain app, you may not even want to add it to your Home screen. In this case, follow the steps below to quickly find and open any downloaded app.

1. Swipe down from the center of your Home screen to find the Search bar.
   
   
2. Enter the name of the missing app in the search field, or tap the microphone icon to dictate your search term.
3. Your missing app should be among the top results. Tap to open it.
   
   
    

Use Settings to Make New Apps Show Up on the Home Screen

While all apps appear in the App Library without fail, for some people a setting may be preventing newly downloaded apps from appearing on the Home screen. Here’s how to fix that going forward.

1. Open the Settings app.
   
   
2. Scroll down and tap Home Screen.
   
   
    
3. Select Add to Home Screen and a blue checkmark will appear next to it. From now on, newly installed apps will show up on your Home screen.
   
   
4. Any apps that were auto-hidden before you changed this setting will still be hidden. To unhide them, you can move them back from App Library individually. 
   
   
    

Restore Hidden Home Screen Pages to Find Missing Apps

It’s possible that an app disappeared from your iPhone because you accidentally hid the page of your Home screen where it appeared. But don’t worry, the process to bring back hidden Home screen pages is quite simple. For more tips on finding hidden or missing apps, read this.

It can feel frustrating when you don’t see an app that you’ve just downloaded or that has always been located in one place on your Home screen. We hope our guide has helped you correct this minor issue with iOS updates and find the apps you’ve lovingly curated on your iPhone.

*Important note: If you've been moved by the Ukrainian battle against the Russian invaders and would like to learn about apps standing in solidarity with Ukraine, please read through our article 6 Apps Standing for Ukraine, and scroll to the bottom for a list of trusted charities you can donate to that are contributing to the cause. 

Backing up your iPhone or iPad regularly is an important part of securing your data and settings. By regularly backing up your iPhone to iCloud, you're assured that if your phone is damaged, you won't lose your device settings, app data, messages, or photos and videos. On occasion, you may get an unwelcome message such as, "iPhone Backup Failed" on your iPhone. If your iPhone won't backup to iCloud, there could be several reasons that the backup failed. Let's troubleshoot why your iPhone's backup failed, then learn how to fix the issue.

Related: How to Back Up Your iPhone to iTunes on Your Computer

iCloud Backup Failed? Why iPhone Won't Back Up & How to Fix It

You've set your iPhone to automatically back up to the cloud every night, but suddenly you've received an error message, "your last backup couldn't be completed" or "problem enabling iCloud Backup." What gives? There are a few things that could have gone wrong, let's go through the possible problems and solutions. You can also check your iCloud backup encryption options.

First Steps to Take​​:

• Check iCloud Storage Settings
• Check Your Power Source
• Check Your Wi-Fi Signal & Connection
• Make Sure Your iPhone's Screen Is Locked
• Make Sure Apple's iCloud Backup System Is Working

Storage & Slow Backup Solutions:

• Make Sure You Have Enough Space for Your iCloud Backup
• Change Your iCloud Storage Plan or Delete Storage Hogs
• Backup Slower than Expected
• Grayed-Out Apps

iCloud Backup Restart & Reset Solutions:

• Hard Restart Your iPhone
• Sign Out of iCloud, Then Back In
• Reset All Settings

Check iCloud Storage Settings to Fix Backup Issues

Is it possible that your iCloud backup settings were accidentally changed? If so, your iPhone may display an error message indicating a problem enabling iCloud Backup. To remedy this:

1. Open the Settings app.
   
   
2. Tap your profile at the top of the page.
   
   
3. Scroll down and tap iCloud.
   
   
4. Scroll down until you find iCloud Backup. It will say "On" or "Off" next to it. If it says "Off," tap it.
   
   
5. Tap the iCloud Backup toggle.
   
   
6. Tap Back Up Now if you want an immediate backup.
   
   

If Back Up Now is grayed out, it may indicate that there's a network restriction. If you're living on campus at college or leaving your work phone at the office overnight, check with the IT department or system administrator to see if they've put restriction settings in place that make iCloud Backup unavailable. Another possible reason that Back Up Now may be grayed out is a problem with Wi-Fi connectivity; here's how to troubleshoot that issue.

Check Your Power Source If iCloud Backup Failed

Check the outlet your iPhone was charging from and make sure it's working; your iPhone needs to be connected to a power source to complete the iCloud Backup process. Make sure the charging symbol is on when your device is plugged into the outlet or placed on your cordless charger. If the charging symbol isn't on, test the outlet with another electronic device to see if the issue is the outlet. If the outlet works, test the charging cable on a different device to see if the cable is the problem. If the outlet and the charging cable are working but your phone still isn't showing the charging symbol, here's how to troubleshoot your iPhone charging issue.

If Your iPhone Won't Back Up Check the Wi-Fi Signal & Connection

If you're getting a message that says, "The Last Backup Could Not Be Completed", the culprit is often your Wi-Fi connection. Make sure that your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi; the iCloud Backup process can't work with just your cellular data connection. If your iPhone isn't connected to Wi-Fi, use these tips to get it connected again.

 

If your iPhone still doesn't connect to your Wi-Fi network, check and see if your other devices can; if they aren't able to connect either, reset your router. If that fails, it's time to call your internet service provider for help.

Automatic iCloud Backup Won’t Work If Screen Isn’t Locked

In addition to requiring a Wi-Fi connection and a power source, your iPhone screen must be locked for your automatic iCloud Backup to proceed. If you have Auto-Lock turned off, you may be forgetting to turn off your screen (and lock it) at night. To check to see if Auto-Lock is enabled:

1. Open the Settings app.
   
   
2. Scroll down and tap Display & Brightness.
   
   
3. Now tap Auto-Lock.
   
   
4. If Never is checked, consider enabling your phone to auto-lock by selecting 5 minutes or a shorter time period. Or make a point of remembering to lock your screen when you go to charge your phone; your screen must be locked for an automatic iCloud Backup to proceed.
   
   

Make Sure Apple's iCloud Backup System Is Working

There is a possibility that you haven't done anything wrong, but rather that Apple's iCloud Backup System is temporarily unavailable. 

The Apple System Support page indicates whether iCloud Backup is available. If iCloud Backup is unavailable, check back later to see if iCloud Backup is available yet and try again.

Make Sure You Have Enough Space for Your iCloud Backup

One of the most common reasons for a failed iCloud backup is a lack of sufficient iCloud storage. Your iPhone won't be able to automatically back up to the cloud if there isn't enough storage space left for the entire backup. Everyone who signs up for an iCloud account receives 5 GB of free storage space, but that can get eaten up quickly. To check and see if storage is the problem:

1. Open the Settings app.
   
   
2. Tap your profile at the top of the page.
   
   
3. Tap iCloud.
   
   
4. You'll see your iCloud storage summary at the top of the screen.
   
   

If your storage is maxed out, read on to learn how to clear some space or buy more iCloud storage.

Change Your iCloud Storage Plan or Delete Storage Hogs

If your iPhone can't back up to the cloud because your storage is too full, you can change your iCloud storage plan. You can also do things like deleting old backups to free up space or check these five storage hogs for ways to make room on your iPhone. 

iCloud Backup Slower than Expected

Did your iCloud backup fail, or is it just taking longer than you expected? If your iPhone displays a message that says, "your device is being restored," this means the backup is incomplete, but still working to finish. Stay connected to your Wi-Fi network and power source and let the backup conclude. Your backup may be slower than usual if your Wi-Fi connection isn't up to speed or you have a large amount of data and settings to save. Similarly, you may receive a notification that reads something like, "Restoring 700 of 1800 items." This type of notification also indicates that the iCloud Backup is still in process; stay connected to Wi-Fi and power until it's finished.

Grayed-Out Apps?

One major culprit for a slow iCloud backup is apps getting hung up, indicated by a grayed-out app icon. If you suspect it's an app that's taking a long time to load that's slowing or stopping your iCloud backup, make sure that your iPhone is connected to a reliable, speedy Wi-Fi network. If your device is connected to Wi-Fi but the app is still causing a problem, tap the app to pause the backup, then tap it again to restart. If this doesn't get your iCloud backup moving, delete the app and then download it again.

iPhone Still Won't Back Up to iCloud?

If you've followed the troubleshooting steps above and your iPhone is still giving you an iCloud backup error message, here are a few more solutions to try.

Hard Restart

If your iPhone still won't back up to the iCloud, try following this tip on how to hard restart your iPhone to reset iCloud. If you have an iPhone 8 or earlier, you'll need to do this to hard restart your iPhone instead.

Sign Out of Your iCloud Account, Then Sign Back In

This is a lengthy but very easy process. Give it a try to get your iCloud backup to work.

1. Open the Settings app.
   
   
2. Tap your profile at the top.
   
   
3. Scroll all the way to the bottom and tap Sign Out.
   
   
4. Enter your Apple ID password. Don't be confused by the Find My iPhone message; you're still on the right track to sign out of iCloud.
   
   
5. Tap Turn Off.
   
   
6. Ignore the next message; you'll see some toggles, but since you're going to sign back in again, they're not necessary. 
7. Tap Sign Out.
   
   
8. A pop-up message will appear. Tap Sign Out again.
   
   
9. You'll be directed to a page with a blank profile at the top. Tap Sign in to your iPhone.
   
   
10. Enter your Apple ID and password.
    
    
11. Tap Next.
    
    
12. Enter your iPhone Passcode.
    
    
13. A message will appear at the bottom asking about merging data. Tap Merge.
    
    
14. It's a good idea to wait for the sign-in to be completed and then restart your device. 

Sometimes this process causes an iMessage Activation Error, but it's easy to fix. Generally, a restart is all it takes, so start with that.

Reset All Settings to Fix iCloud Backup

This process won't erase any data; it will just reset all of your iPhone's settings to the factory default. You may be disappointed, however, when you learn the hard way just how many settings you've customized; you'll have to customize your iPhone settings as though it was a brand new iPhone just out of the box.  

1. Open the Settings app.
   
   
2. Tap General.
   
   
3. Scroll down to Reset and tap it.
   
   
4. Tap on Reset All Settings.
   
   

I hope this troubleshooting guide has helped you complete an iCloud backup on your iPhone. If not, please contact Apple Support, and they should be able to assist you. An iCloud backup can be useful, especially if you are selling your old iPhone and planning on buying a new one. Read next: how long does it take to restore an iPhone?

This article will tell you how to stop your iPhone from going to sleep too quickly. If you want to change your Lock screen settings to turn off Auto-Lock or change how quickly your screen dims, we'll cover that as well. In addition to "why does my screen turn off so fast?" you may also be wondering, "why is Auto-Lock grayed out on my iPhone?" We'll tell you why this happens, and how to fix it.

Related: How to Write Notes Directly from the Lock Screen on Your iPhone

Related Video: Customize What You Can Access from Lock Screen

The above video is a preview of an iPhone Life Insider Daily Video Tip

Jump To:

Related: How to Find Your iPhone Even If It’s Dead 

How to Change Screen Lock Time on Your iPhone & iPad 

The most effective way to stop your iPhone from sleeping is to change your iPhone sleep timer. Auto-Lock is an easy feature to change in Settings. You select 30 seconds all the way to 5 minutes before your screen locks; you can also choose to set Auto-Lock to Never, essentially turning Auto-Lock off. Your iPhone's screen lock time is, by default, set to 30 seconds.  

How to Change Auto-Lock (Sleep Mode) on the iPhone & iPad 

1. Open the Settings app.
   
   
2. Tap Display & Brightness.
   
   
3. Select Auto-Lock.
   
   
4. Set the timer to the time that works best for you.
   
   

If you attempted to change your Auto-Lock time and suddenly panicked because it’s grayed out—take a deep breath and proceed to the tip after next. Don’t worry; it’s an easy fix.

How to Fix a Grayed-Out Auto-Lock on Your iPhone

Auto-Lock on your iPhone will be grayed out when Low Power Mode is on. Low Power Mode on the iPhone and iPad forces Auto-Lock to remain at thirty seconds to conserve battery life. To stop Auto-Lock from being grayed out, all you need to do is turn Low Power Mode off. If you follow our tip for how to turn on Hey Siri, you can activate Siri and say, “Turn off Low Power Mode.” Or, you can use the tip below to manually turn Low Power Mode off. Once you’ve turned Low Power Mode off, navigate back to the Auto-Lock setting, and you’ll be able to change it to whatever time you prefer.

To fix grayed out Auto-Lock setting and stop your iPhone or iPad from sleeping when you don't want it to:

1. You can say, "Hey, Siri, turn off Low Power Mode”.
   
   
2. Alternately, open the Settings app.
   
   
3. Tap Battery.
   
   
4. Toggle off Low Power Mode.
   
   
    

Now you can navigate back to Auto-Lock in Display & Brightness and change the Auto-Lock time. If interested, you can also learn this nifty shortcut to switch between your open apps on your iPhone.