Lose your Vision Pro? Find My app won't help you locate the headset but there is a workaround

So you can't find your Vision Pro headset. The first place you might turn to for help is the Find My app which normally can help you locate your lost or stolen Apple devices. But a new support document from Apple makes it clear that all that the Find My app will do in the event your Vision Pro has gone missing is prevent anyone from taking over control of your headset. The Activation Lock, once enabled, requires your Apple ID and password to turn off Find My and deactivate the Activation Lock which would allow the headset to be reset.

Turning on the Find My app for Vision Pro automatically enables the Activation Lock. Apple says, "Activation Lock helps keep your device secure, even if it's in the wrong hands. It helps stop anyone who isn't you from using your device without your permission — which can improve your chance of recovering the device if it's lost." Before you buy a Vision Pro from a third party, make sure that the device is erased and that it is not protected by the previous owner's Activation Lock. More on that in a second.

First, to turn on Activation Lock on the Vision Pro, go to Settings and select your name. Select Find My, choose Find My Vision Pro, and turn on Find My. But Apple states that "When you turn on Find My, you protect your Vision Pro with Activation Lock — but you can't use another Apple device or the web to find Vision Pro on a map, play a sound to help find it, turn on Lost Mode, or remotely erase it."

Sure, it's great that you can lock down your pricey headset if it is lost or stolen, but you cannot find out where it is using the Find My app. Nor can you force the headset to emit a sound to help you find it. This might be due to the way the battery works on the headset. Once someone disconnects the battery from the Vision Pro, the device shuts down instantly. 

One possible workaround is to toss an AirTag in the optional travel bag that Apple sells for its spatial computer. Or you can do the same thing with any backpack or bag that you transport the Vision Pro in. Investing in an AirTag for your Vision Pro is a good idea.

If the Vision Pro you bought from a third party still has the Activation Lock enabled, when setting up the device, you'll see a screen that says, "Apple Vision Pro Locked to Owner." To unlock the Vision Pro, you'll need to have the previous owner type in his Apple ID and password. Apple's support page warns Vision Pro buyers "Don't take ownership of any used Vision Pro if it's still protected by Activation Lock."

And if we can throw in our own recommendation, it would be this. Besides tossing an AirTag in the bag you use to transport the Vision Pro, keep an eye on the device at all times. Don't allow anyone you don't know to try the device.