Find My

Device location and tracking service. In MDM, it’s linked to Activation Lock. Organizations can manage Activation Lock on supervised devices to prevent them from being locked to personal accounts.

What to Know

Find My enables Activation Lock, which ties a device to an Apple ID and prevents unauthorized use after a factory reset. While Activation Lock protects personal devices from theft, it creates significant challenges for corporate devices if employees lock company-owned devices to personal Apple IDs. Organizations need to either disable Find My entirely or use Managed Activation Lock (available on supervised devices) to maintain control over device security while preserving the ability to reset and redeploy devices.

For MDM-managed devices, Find My also enables Managed Lost Mode, which allows IT to remotely lock devices, display custom messages, and track device location without requiring user intervention. This is critical for recovering lost or stolen corporate devices and protecting sensitive data.

Common Scenarios

Enterprise IT: Corporate IT typically disables consumer Find My on supervised devices and enables Managed Activation Lock instead. This prevents employees from locking company devices to personal accounts while still providing theft protection through MDM-controlled Activation Lock. IT uses Managed Lost Mode through the MDM to track and recover lost devices, eliminating dependence on personal Apple IDs for device recovery.

MSP: MSPs should disable consumer Find My on all client devices to prevent orphaned Activation Locks when employees leave or personal Apple IDs change. MSPs often encounter “bricked” devices locked to former employees’ Apple IDs because Find My was not properly disabled before offboarding. Managed Activation Lock provides the same theft protection without the risk of losing administrative access to devices.

Education: Schools disable consumer Find My on student devices to prevent students from locking school-owned iPads to personal or parent Apple IDs. Schools use Managed Activation Lock to protect devices from theft while maintaining the ability to wipe and redeploy devices to new students each year. Teacher devices typically have Managed Activation Lock enabled but may allow personal Find My if the school permits personal use.

In Addigy

Addigy supports Managed Activation Lock on supervised iPhones and iPads and provides Managed Lost Mode commands for tracking and securing lost devices. Admins can enable Managed Activation Lock through device settings, and Addigy stores the bypass code securely for use during device resets. Addigy displays each device’s Activation Lock status and provides one-click Lost Mode activation with customizable lock messages and contact information. Addigy’s Restrictions payload includes a “Disable Find My” option to prevent users from enabling personal Find My on corporate devices.