How to track a stolen iPhone with a changed password?

Uncertainty re: the purported “password change” aside …

… FindMy is the ONLY Apple-provisioned method to track devices.

If you can’t access your account, you can’t use FindMy.

How to find your lost iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

If your iPhone or iPad was stolen - Apple Support

If you think your Apple Account has been compromised - Apple Support

Was Stolen Device Protection enabled before it was lost?

When Stolen Device Protection is enabled on an iPhone, the system enforces biometric authentication (Face ID or Touch ID) for all sensitive actions. This means that even if a thief knows your device passcode, they cannot bypass the biometric requirement.

• Passcode alone is insufficient: Sensitive operations such as disabling Find My iPhone, changing your Apple ID password, or removing payment methods demand biometric verification.
• Security delay mechanism: For the most critical changes, Apple adds an extra safeguard — a mandatory one‑hour security delay. The process requires:

1. 1. A successful biometric scan to initiate the request.
   2. Waiting through the enforced delay.
   3. Another biometric scan after the delay to confirm the action.

Until biometric access is provided, the delay continues indefinitely, effectively blocking unauthorized attempts.

Stolen Device Protection ensures that possession of your passcode alone does not grant control over your iPhone. Without your biometric approval, the device remains secure, and attackers are locked out of sensitive changes no matter how long they try.

How do I locate a stolen iPhone if someone changes my password???

Someone would have to know the "old" Passcode and also your "old" Password in order to change it on your phone. There is no way that this could ever occur unless you provided this information to the person who changed things around.

Why do you think that someone changed the Password?

If you are trying to track the phone.....what message appears when you try to locate the phone using Find My?

No Device Found?

Offline?

So, who that’s close to you did you reveal your passcode to? Don’t bother telling us? We can’t track it. Tell the police and cellular carrier.

Did you take ownership of the iPhone and set it up with a passcode and Face ID? Was it lost in shipping? You need to explain the circumstances because not much makes sense. If you can’t or won’t tell us or Apple Support, you need to tell your local law enforcement. Apple will cooperate if local law enforcement contacts Apple. But at this point your best recourse is contacting your local law enforcement and Apple Support. We basically can’t assist.

you’re in the US, please call  1-800-MY-APPLE, or outside the US, consult the support articles below. In Canada, call 1-800-263-3394.

Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

jacy228 wrote:

How do I locate a stolen iPhone if someone changes my password???

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Honest question

Did you by chance receive a message which looked like it came from Apple, saying your phone had been found and you needed to validate your account credentials? If yes, you were scammed as Apple NEVER sends out such messages. If you did and you gave your account credentials, you can't track the phone. Apple can't help you.

How was the password changed? Is the device still listed in your Apple Account (Apple ID)?

No it was a brand new phone. I didn’t get that far!

The person that stole the phone obviously was close enough to me that they knew my passcode, so they changed it

they changed the password so it wants me to start account recovery

I can’t access the email or phone number due to the fact that the phone is stolen ,

I wish I had enabled it!!