Find My on an iPhone 14 (or any recent iPhone) can send several kinds of alerts: separation alerts when you leave a device or AirTag behind, location alerts when a friend arrives at or leaves a place, “found” notifications when a lost device is located, and unknown tracker alerts such as “AirTag Found Moving With You,” which warn you that someone else’s tracker may be traveling with you. Each type is set up and handled differently, and you can control most of them in the Find My app.
Below is what each alert means, what to do when you get one, and how to turn them on or off.
Find My alerts at a glance
| Alert | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| “[Item] left behind” (Notify When Left Behind) | You moved away from your device or AirTag | Go back for it, or tap the alert to see where it is |
| “[Device] was found” (Notify When Found) | A device marked lost has been located | Open Find My to see its location |
| “[Friend] arrived at / left [place]” | A location notification you or they set up | Nothing, unless you want to change the notification |
| “AirTag Found Moving With You” or “Unknown Accessory Detected” | Someone else’s tracker seems to be traveling with you | Check it out right away (see below) |
| Lost Mode message on a device | The owner marked the device as lost | Contact the owner using the number on screen |
Separation alerts (Notify When Left Behind)
These alerts tell you when you’ve left an AirTag, AirPods, an Apple Watch, an iPad or a Mac behind.
- Open Find My and tap Devices or Items.
- Tap the device or AirTag.
- Tap Notify When Left Behind and turn it on.
- Add trusted locations such as home or work under Notify Me, Except At, so you’re not alerted when you leave something there on purpose.
Found notifications
If a device is offline and you can’t see its location, tap it in Find My and turn on Notify When Found. You’ll get a notification as soon as it connects or is detected by the Find My network. Turning on Mark As Lost enables this automatically.
Location notifications for friends and family
- Open Find My and tap People.
- Tap a person who shares their location with you.
- Under Notifications, tap Add.
- Choose Notify Me (alerts you) or Notify [Name] (alerts them), pick Arrives or Leaves, choose a location, and decide whether it repeats.
When someone sets a notification about your location, you get an alert telling you so. You can see and remove these from the same screen.
“AirTag Found Moving With You” and unknown tracker alerts
This alert means an AirTag, AirPods or other Find My-compatible tracker that isn’t yours has been moving with you. It may be harmless, such as a friend’s AirTag in a borrowed bag or a family member’s item, but take it seriously.
- Tap the alert to see a map of where the tracker has been with you.
- Tap Play Sound to help find it. Check bags, pockets, coats and your car.
- Tap Learn About This AirTag or hold the top of your iPhone near it to see its serial number and, if the owner marked it lost, their contact message.
- Tap Instructions to Disable to remove its battery and stop it sharing location.
- If you think you’re being tracked against your will, contact local law enforcement. Apple can work with them using the serial number.
iPhones also detect compatible trackers from some other brands and show an Unknown Accessory Detected alert for them.
Turn Find My alerts on or off
- All Find My notifications: Settings > Notifications > Find My.
- Unknown tracker alerts: In Find My, tap Me > Customize Tracking Notifications and keep Allow Notifications on. Apple recommends leaving these on for your safety.
- Location Services needed: Tracker alerts need Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services on, along with System Services > Find My iPhone and Significant Locations.
Why you might get false alerts
- A separation alert can fire if your phone loses Bluetooth contact briefly, such as when an item is in another room.
- Traveling with family members whose AirTags aren’t in a shared Family Sharing setup can trigger unknown tracker alerts. Sharing an AirTag with them in Find My stops these.
- Low Power Mode or a dead battery on the item can delay alerts.
Related: fix “AirTag not reachable”.
Related: add a device to Find My.
Related: AirTag engraving ideas.
Frequently asked questions
Does the owner know when I get an “AirTag Found Moving With You” alert?
No. The owner isn’t notified that you received an alert or looked at the AirTag.
Why didn’t I get a left-behind alert?
Notify When Left Behind must be on for that item, and you must be away from any trusted locations you added. Location Services and Bluetooth need to be on.
Can I turn off alerts for my own family’s AirTags?
Yes. When an AirTag is shared with you in Find My, it no longer triggers unknown tracker alerts for you.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.