I can’t find my iPhone 18pro with find my

If you have lost your iPhone in a river while hiking, the situation can be particularly challenging. Unlike losing an iPhone on a road or in a relatively confined area, a flowing river can carry the device downstream, potentially moving it a considerable distance from the location where you last had it. Consequently, the location displayed in the Find My app may no longer represent the iPhone's current location.

If Find My shows your iPhone as Offline, it does not necessarily mean that the device is permanently lost or that it can no longer be located. There are a few important things worth understanding.

1. An iPhone can still be findable even when switched off.

Certain supported iPhone models have a Find My network feature that allows them to remain discoverable for a limited period even after being powered off. This is possible because the iPhone can continue transmitting Bluetooth signals using its low-power reserve capability.

2. An internet connection is not always necessary to locate an iPhone.

The Find My network uses Bluetooth signals from nearby Apple devices to detect a missing iPhone. These devices can securely and anonymously relay its approximate location to Apple's Find My network, allowing the owner to see its location in the Find My app.

Therefore, the missing iPhone does not necessarily need its own Wi-Fi or cellular internet connection to be located. However, other Apple devices need to be within Bluetooth range to detect it and relay its location.

3. Why might Find My continue to show the iPhone as Offline?

In your particular situation, several possibilities exist:

• The river may have carried the iPhone downstream, away from the last known location.
• If the iPhone is submerged in water, its Bluetooth signals may be severely weakened or completely blocked.
• There may not be any nearby Apple devices capable of detecting and relaying its Bluetooth signal.
• The battery may have been depleted, or the power reserve that supports Find My after shutdown may have expired.
• The device may be damaged by water, preventing it from transmitting any signals.

4. What should you do?

Keep the iPhone registered to your Apple Account and continue checking its location through Find My. If you have not already done so, mark it as lost using Lost Mode. This helps protect your personal information and allows you to receive a notification if the device is located, subject to its connectivity and Find My capabilities.

One important distinction: an iPhone being powered off does not automatically make it untraceable. However, being technically capable of transmitting a Find My Bluetooth signal and actually being detected by another Apple device are two different things.

For further clarification, refer to this discussion in the Apple Support Community:

I need help locating my lost I phone that… - Apple Community

Switched Off? Still traceable:  Even if the iPhone is switched off it is findable, see the pic below.

Did you enable Find My network? See the pic below

If yes, read below how it may get located.

The Find My network is an encrypted, anonymous network of hundreds of millions of Apple devices that can help you locate your device. 

From the above, I infer that when another device comes in close proximity to your powered-off device the GPS from both devices will form a network and your device's location info will be displayed to you on your device only. As long as both devices are/have...

• Find My enabled
• Find My Network is enabled 
• iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14 and above
• With iOS 15 and above versions

Set up Find My on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac