The simplest way to change your location source
To show your iPad's location instead of your iPhone's in Find My, you need to turn off Find My iPhone on your iPhone and turn it on for your iPad. Both devices must use the same Apple ID. Open Settings on your iPhone, tap your name at the top, select Find My, then tap Find My iPhone and toggle it off. Then on your iPad, go to Settings, tap your name, select Find My, tap Find My iPhone, and toggle it on. Your iPad's location will now appear when someone looks you up in Find My.
This works because Find My shows the location of whichever device has Find My iPhone enabled under your Apple ID. You can have it on multiple devices at once — if you do, Find My will show all of them. But if you want only your iPad to broadcast your location, you must disable it on your iPhone first.
Key Takeaways
- Both devices must be signed in to the same Apple ID for location sharing to work between them.
- Turn off Find My iPhone on your iPhone by going to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My > Find My iPhone and toggling it off.
- Turn on Find My iPhone on your iPad using the same path: Settings > [Your Name] > Find My > Find My iPhone and toggle it on.
- If you want both devices to show their locations, you can leave Find My iPhone on for both — Find My will display both locations separately.
Why you might want to use your iPad's location instead
Your iPhone and iPad are usually in different places. If you carry your iPad with you but leave your iPhone at home, showing your iPad's location gives people a more accurate picture of where you actually are. Some people also prefer to keep their iPhone location private while sharing their iPad location with family or friends through Find My.
Another reason is battery life. If your iPhone is low on power, you might want to rely on your iPad's location instead. Turning off Find My iPhone on your iPhone also stops that device from broadcasting its location, which saves a small amount of battery.
Making sure both devices are set up correctly
Before you change which device shows your location, check that both your iPhone and iPad are signed in to the same Apple ID. Open Settings on each device, tap your name at the top, and look at the email address shown. If they do not match, you will need to sign out of one device and sign in with the correct Apple ID.
You also need to make sure Find My is turned on at the account level. On each device, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My and check that the toggle at the top is on (it should be blue). If it is off, tap it to turn it on. This is different from Find My iPhone itself — Find My is the overall service, and Find My iPhone is the specific feature that broadcasts your location.
What happens when you turn off Find My iPhone on your iPhone
When you disable Find My iPhone on your iPhone, that device stops sending its location to Apple's servers. Anyone who had your iPhone's location in Find My will no longer see it — they will only see your iPad if it has Find My iPhone turned on. Your iPhone will still be able to use Find My to locate other devices you own, but it will not broadcast its own location.
This does not affect any other features on your iPhone. Messages, calls, and all other apps work normally. Find My iPhone is purely for location sharing, so turning it off only changes that one thing.
Controlling who can see your location
Find My has two separate sharing options: one for family and one for individual contacts. If you want to share your iPad's location with specific people, open Find My on your iPad, tap the People tab at the bottom, and tap Share My Location. You can then choose which contacts see your location. They will see your iPad's location, not your iPhone's, since you turned off Find My iPhone on your iPhone.
You can also set an expiration time for location sharing — for example, you can share your location for one hour, one day, or indefinitely. This gives you control over how long people can track your location without you having to turn the feature off and back on manually.
Switching back to your iPhone's location later
If you decide you want your iPhone's location to show again instead of your iPad's, reverse the steps: turn off Find My iPhone on your iPad and turn it back on for your iPhone. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My > Find My iPhone on each device and toggle accordingly. The change takes effect when ready, usually within a few seconds.
You can also turn on Find My iPhone for both devices at the same time if you want both locations to show. Find My will display them as separate devices, and anyone looking you up will see both your iPhone and iPad locations on the map.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do both devices need to be connected to the internet for this to work?
Yes. Both your iPhone and iPad need either Wi-Fi or cellular data to send their locations to Find My. If your iPad is offline, its location will not update, and Find My will show the last known location instead.
Can I show my iPad's location to some people and my iPhone's location to others?
No. Find My shows one location per Apple ID. If you have Find My iPhone on for your iPad, everyone who can see your location will see your iPad's location. To show different locations to different people, you would need to use separate Apple IDs, which is not practical for most people.
Will my iPad still work if I turn off Find My iPhone?
Yes. Turning off Find My iPhone only stops location sharing. Your iPad will still make calls, send messages, browse the web, and run all other apps normally. You can also still use Find My to locate other devices you own.
What if my iPhone and iPad are in the same place?
Find My will show both locations if you have Find My iPhone on for both devices. Since they are in the same place, both will appear at the same spot on the map. You can still turn off Find My iPhone on your iPhone if you prefer to share only your iPad's location.