How To Make Find My iPhone Make a Noise When Locating a Device

Phones have a way of vanishing on us. One minute you are holding it, and the next, it’s just gone. Is it between the seat cushions? Could it be mixed up with the laundry? Who knows. You scour the house from top to bottom, before asking someone to call your phone. What if it’s on silent mode?

Thankfully, with iPhone’s Find My Phone feature, you don’t have to go through this drama. Apple has made it so that when you misplace your phone, it will play a sound that will alert you to its location. This nifty feature will spare you the hassle of a long search. Here’s how to use iPhone’s Find My feature to locate your smartphone and other Apple devices such as your AirPods or Apple watch.

Find My App: Play Sound on iPhone

With your iPhone connected to the Find My app, you can instruct the software to play a sound to help you detect your phone’s location. The sound will play even when the phone is on silent or vibrate. This is how to play sound using the Find My app:

1. Using any available device, go to your iCloud account.
   
2. Navigate to “Find My iPhone,” then press “All Devices.”
   
3. Select the device you want to play sound on and choose “Play Sound.”
   

Your iPhone will begin to play a sound shortly after pressing the “Play Sound” button. The sound will gradually increase in volume and keep playing for about two minutes. There will also be a Find My alert flashing on the iPhone screen to make it easier to find.

If your phone is offline, the sound will play once it’s connected to Wi-Fi. You will also get an email letting you know that “Find My” has been activated.

Find My App: Play Sound on AirPods or Beats

If you have misplaced your AirPods or Beats products, you can locate them using the Find My network. You can play a sound from them whether they are in the case or not. The steps shown here will walk you through the process.

For any iCloud platform:

1. Log in to your iCloud account and tap “All Devices.”
   
2. Select the AirPods or Beats that you are looking for.
   
3. Click on or select “Play Sound” to locate your device.
   
4. If the AirPods or Beats are separated, tap “Mute Left” or “Mute Right” to find them one at a time.
   

On the iPhone iPad or iPod:

1. Launch the Find My app and click on “Devices.”
   
2. Press the name of the AirPods or Beats product.
   
3. Hit “Play Sound.”
   
4. Select “Mute Right” or “Mute Left” to find the earphones if they have been separated.
   

For the Apple Watch:

1. Go to the Find My app and select your AirPods or Beats.
   
2. Click “Play Sound.”

This method will work for watchOS 8.0 or newer.

On a Mac:

1. Navigate to Find My app and tap “Devices.”
   
2. Select the misplaced Beats or AirPods.
3. Press “More Info” then “Play Sound.”

If the AirPods or Beats are online, they will play a sound that increases in volume for two minutes. However, if they are offline, you will get a notification the next time that your phone is near them.

Find My App: Play Sound on Apple Watch

You may have forgotten where you placed your Apple watch. Fortunately, the Find My app sound feature can also be used to locate this device. Follow the instructions shown here to find it.

1. Open the Find My app on iCloud.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap “Devices.”
3. Select your Apple watch from the list displayed.
   
4. Click “Play Sound” to complete the process.
   

If your watch is online, you should hear a sound that will increase in volume for two minutes. Your timepiece should also light up with the Find My alert. If the watch is offline, you will see a notification that says “Sound Pending.” This means that the sound will come on the next time the device connects to the internet.

Apple will send a confirmation email letting you know that the Play Sound feature has been activated.

Ask Siri

It’s often easy to overlook Siri, but you can also use it to find your iPhone. Telling Siri something like “Play sound on my iPhone” will cause your iPhone to produce a noise that will enable you to find it. For Siri to do this, you must have first connected the device to your Apple product. Here’s how to set up Siri.

1. Open Siri’s dashboard and go to “Settings.”
   
2. Navigate to “Siri & Search.”
   
3. Press the switch at the top to enable “Listen for ‘Hey Siri.’”
   
4. Tap “Continue” on the iPhone prompt.
   
5. Speak the mentioned phrases into your phone to calibrate Siri.
   
6. Click “Done” then “Hey Siri” to complete the process.
   

With Siri set up on your iPhone, you can now use it to listen out for your misplaced device. Start by saying, “Hey Siri,” and then instructing it on what to do. Telling it to “Play sound on my iPhone,” or asking it “Where is my iPhone,” should help you locate your device. You can even ask Siri to increase the volume if you can hear your iPhone, but the sound is too low for you to figure out exactly where it is.

Stop Playing a Sound on Apple Device

If you locate your device before the two-minute window is up, you can use one of the following methods to turn off the sound.

iPhone, iPad, iPod

• Tap the Power button or the volume down button
• Flip the Ring/Silent button
• Unlock the device and swipe to dismiss the Find My alert
• If the device is unlocked, click “OK” on the Find My alert

Apple Watch

• Hit “Dismiss” on the Find My alert
• Tap the side button or Digital Crown

Mac PC

• Press “OK” on the Find My alert screen

AirPods

• Place the AirPods back in their case and close the lid
• Go to the Find My app on iCloud and click “Stop Playing”

Beats

• If they are earphones, return them to their case and close the lid
• Tap the Power button

An Easier Way to Locate Your iPhone

The Play Sound feature in iCloud Find My app can be crucial in any number of situations, whether you’ve accidentally dropped your iPhone under the seat of your car, stuffed it in the fridge with the groceries, or just left it on your desk at work. The beeping sound gets increasingly louder to allow you to hear the alert even when your phone is buried under clothes or in a drawer. With the help of this guide, you should now be able to use the sound feature to locate your misplaced Apple devices.

Have you used the sound feature to locate your iPhone, and did you find the feature helpful? Let us know in the comments below.