You can find your missing tablet using the free Find My iPad app, and one cool feature of it is Lost Mode, which locks down your device and can even display a custom message with your phone number so you can be contacted to return the device. Here’s how to use it.
How to Turn on Lost Mode on Your iPad
To use Lost Mode, you’ll need to have Find My iPad turned on. This feature allows you to track your iPad’s location and turn on Lost Mode no matter where it’s located. Here’s how to do that.
How to Locate Your Lost iPad and Turn on Lost Mode
Before you use Lost Mode, you want to find out where your iPad is. Follow these steps to use Find My iPad and turn on Lost Mode.
What to Do If Find My iPad Is Off
If you’ve lost your iPad and don’t have the Find My iPad feature turned on, you won’t be able to use Lost Mode. You may want to change the password for your Apple ID to prevent any unwanted purchases, especially if you don’t have your iPad locked with a passcode. On an iPhone or another iPad, you can skip the web browser and launch the Find My iPad app. (The quickest way to open this app is through Spotlight Search.) Your iPad will lock and show a message with your phone number. If you think someone stole your iPad, you should report it to the police. It would be useful for you to have your iPad’s serial number at this point. If you have registered your device with Apple, you can get help finding your serial number on Apple’s Support page. Otherwise, you can find this information on the iPad’s box.
