The new iOS 13 "Find My" app helps Redditor recover its lost iPad at the airport

By Amber Neely
Monday September 16th 2019, 05:38 PM (08:38 ET)

Thanks to the # iOS13 beta testers and the new "Find My" feature in conjunction with Bluetooth, a Reddit user was able to locate a lost iPad a day after a flight.

Robby_c137, a Reddit user, turned to Reddit to explain how the "Find My" feature redeveloped in iOS 13 helped them locate their Wi-Fi iPad only at the Las Angeles International Airport.

Robby said that they had initially assumed that the iPad was lost forever, forgetting that the new feature even existed in the beginning. However, when they woke up the next day, they received two notifications that their iPad was seen by other devices at LAX airport.

After a little work and with the help of LAX airport staff, Robby was reunited with his iPad.

In iOS 13, "Find My" now uses Bluetooth to locate devices that do not have an LTE or Wi-Fi connection. To do this, it allows devices to ping other Apple devices running iOS 13, as do products like Tile.

Apple's iPhones and iPads are not the only devices that can be located. Your MacBook, Apple Watch, and AirPod can all be tracked through Find My in iOS 13.

The only caveat to the new "Find My" is that Bluetooth needs to be enabled for this to work. Many users have taken the habit of turning off Bluetooth to preserve battery life, which would prevent this method of locating. Stories like Robby's, however, invoke a convincing argument.

At least one other user in the comments in the Reddit news thread said that the new "Find My" feature also brought them together with their Apple device.