Lost device

The Lost device action puts a compatible Apple device into Lost Mode. The device shows a message and a phone number so that whoever finds it can reach you.

This is useful when a device goes missing and you want to lock it and display a way to contact you.

Using this action from the user interface

If you prefer building automations and scripts visually, Home Assistant walks you through this action step by step. You pick what to target, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To put a device into Lost Mode from an automation or a script:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts don’t need a trigger. They run when something else calls them.
4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
5. From the search box, search for and select Apple iCloud: Lost device.
6. Enter the Account, the Device name, the Number to call, and the Message to display.
7. Select Save.

This action does not support targets. In the UI, you are not prompted to choose an area, device, entity, or label.

Options in the UI

Using this action in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required.

In YAML, refer to this action as icloud.lost_device. A basic example looks like this:

action: icloud.lost_device
data:
  account: "[email protected]"
  device_name: "Bob's iPhone"
  number: "+33450020100"
  message: "Please call me to return this phone."

This puts the device into Lost Mode with the given message and phone number.

Options in YAML

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Developer tools > Actions, search for this action, fill in the fields, and select Perform action. You see what happens on your actual entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] without writing a line of YAML.

More examples

Real scenarios where this action shows up in automations and scripts. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Automation: set a tablet to lost when it leaves home

When a device has not been home for a while, put it into Lost Mode with your contact details.

• Trigger: A device stays away from home for an hour
• Action: Apple iCloud: Lost device

alias: "Mark tablet as lost"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: device_tracker.family_ipad
    to: "not_home"
    for:
      hours: 1
actions:
  - action: icloud.lost_device
    data:
      account: "[email protected]"
      device_name: "Family iPad"
      number: "+33450020100"
      message: "Please call me to return this iPad."

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related actions

These actions work well alongside this one:

• Play sound: Plays the Lost device sound on an Apple device.

• Display message: Displays a message on an Apple device.

• Update: Requests a location and state update for the devices on an Apple Account.