Apple saved me Friday.  Thursday night when I got home from work, I discovered I’d left my iPad 2 in the classroom.  After calling  the university lost and found, I realized I’d have to take action.  Now it’s about a one-hour drive from my home to work.  And I wasn’t looking forward to that drive, especially since I’d already done one round-trip that day.  But then I remembered “Find My iPad.” (Clicking on any image will enlarge it.)

First things first.  You need to make sure “Find My iPad” is enabled on your iPad.  Go to Settings/iCloud and find the switch as shown here:

Find My iPad on my iPad

When you misplace your iPad, log in to iCloud on your computer.  Then click “Find My iPad.”  You’ll be asked for your password again.  Security and all that.

iCloud

Next, click “All Devices” on the top toolbar.

Drop Down Menu Location

Select the device you want to find, then you’ll see the location on a map. But don’t rush out the door yet.  Instead click “Lost Mode.”

Find My IpadYou’ll be asked for a phone number where you can be reached.  Fill that in and click next.  There you’ll be given a chance to change the default message.  (I didn’t bother.)  When you click Done, this will appear on your iPad’s screen:

Lost iPad

The app will think for a minute then show you a map with your iPad’s location as a bullseye. I could show the whole sequence, but it’s easier, faster, and more entertaining to just show the final map.

The iPad’s Journey

It looks like my iPad started in the classroom where I left it.  Someone picked it up and took it to the far edge of a parking lot.  They then (probably) looked at the screen and got nervous.  They put it back in the classroom.

Which is where the University’s public safety folks found it and held it until I could get over there Friday.  Kudos to them and to Apple for a great implementation.