Using FindMy to track stolen Mac

Use the Find My app to locate a missing device or item

Specifically this section from above

See it on a map

1. Open the Find My app.
2. Choose the Devices or Items tab.
3. Select the device or item to see its location on the map. If you belong to a Family Sharing group, you can see the devices in your group.
4. Choose Directions to open its location in Maps.

If you turn on Find My network, you can see your device or item's location even if it's not connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network. The Find My network is an encrypted anonymous network of hundreds of millions of Apple devices that can help you locate your device or item. 

Another bit of info on the topic that I don’t think was covered, Wi-Fi location triangulation is not dependent on being connected to any particular Wi-Fi access point. It looks for all Wi-Fi access points did it can see in the area and uses the known position of those to triangulate your position off of Wi-Fi.

Good Question :-))

Lame explanation here - in the context - newer laptop computer, automatically turn On the moment the lid is opened. So, should the device be misplaced, stolen or lost - at the moment the lid is opened, even if awaking from sleep - it will become visible in the FindMy application regardless if connected to not.

Now, will concede to more Learned Contributor(s) on this, should one or more pickup this question.

Well stated.

FindMy is a recovery aid for absent-mindedness …

… and corroborating indication of a theft; allowing you to wipe it, replace it, and move on.

You can pretty quickly tell one case from the other.

Even if you could locate it, it's not like you can go in, guns ablaze, and get it back. The police are not going to back you up either. The best you could do is erase your drive.

Very good question.

I suspect - albeit w/o any rock-solid basis or personal testing - that it’s at least partially dependent on Apple’s “Offline Finding” capability; whereby it uses the device’s bluetooth to geolocate using other “cooperating” devices. (same method used to geolocate “out of own device range” AirTags)

From my research, this bluetooth beacon apparently “fires up” anytime the computer is powered-on.

Obviously for this to work, “the planets would have to be aligned” device and comms-wise …

… but going forward, Apple’s iOS 15 release infers that the system will keep this - or some other flavor - “beaconing” active even when devices are turned “off.”

I’ve personally tested that offline-finding system DOES INDEED work w/ a “lost” not on any network WiFi-only iPad … haven’t tried it w/ my MacBook (yet).

There is an interesting discussion of the general methodology in two Apple Platform Security articles starting here:

(BTW, the cryptologic methods used are indeed BRILLIANT)

https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/security/sec6cbc80fd0/web

Re: “ …Wi-Fi location triangulation is not dependent on being connected to any particular Wi-Fi access point … “

An interesting point worthy of examination.

While theoretically possible, would not doing so offline require a substantial database of terrestrial WAP geo-locations to be at least semi-permanently resident in the device?

Re: “… it doesn't appear that it is completely offline …”

Sounds like we’re in total sync!

Thanks.

An interesting point worthy of examination.

While theoretically possible, would not doing so offline require a substantial database of terrestrial WAP geo-locations to be at least semi-permanently resident in the device?

If it was completely offline, yes. From all the other posts, it doesn't appear that it is completely offline. Sounds like it might be able to go, "hey buddy, I can see this stuff. Can you help a brother out?"

All of it sounds interesting, but I want no way to know how as it would open up the capability to defeat.