Apple’s Find My network has been available for a few years now. As part of the Find My app, it has become a platform for not only customers to find their lost Apple products, but also third-party companies that make gadgets that work with the Find My network. However, one of the coolest features iPhone users have is the ability to find their devices even if the battery is dead. This is accomplished, on the iPhone 11 and newer devices, by using Power Reserve Mode, which can prolong some of the iPhone’s functionality even if the device is completely exhausted.
If your iPhone is linked to an Apple account with Find My connected, you can locate it for up to 24 hours after it’s turned off or for five hours in power reserve mode. If the battery charge reaches extremely low levels, the iPhone’s last location is automatically sent to Apple as a last resort. With this, Apple gives users more time to find their devices in case they have been forgotten or stolen, or if they simply need to quickly use Express Mode and get home using public transportation.
The technology behind Find My
When your iPhone drains to zero and turns off, iOS reserves a fraction of the battery to perform certain functions. Although you can’t turn on the screen and use the phone normally, the low power state turns your iPhone into something like an AirTag. This goes back to the iPhone 11’s unique Ultra Wideband chip that provides precise location using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology.
With BLE, every time an Apple device passes near your iPhone, it pings the general location, while the Ultra Wideband chip’s spatial awareness technology provides more precise location tracking. This technology is widely supported across Apple products, starting with the iPhone 11, but you can check this list for the full extent of availability.
If you have one of these iPhones, make sure your device is connected to the Find My app. In the iPhone settings, you need to tap your name and then Find My. There you will need to log in if necessary and then enable Find My iPhone. This ensures that your iPhone is paired with Apple’s Find My network. After that, you can open the Find My app and check that your phone is visible under the Devices tab.
