Apple has announced it will finally introduce its popular 'Find My' network to South Korea in the spring of 2025, after apparently overcoming local regulatory hurdles. The launch will bring the full range of Apple's location-based Find My services to South Korean customers for the first time, enabling them to keep track of devices, belongings, and loved ones.
Last July, a petition on Korea's National Assembly Electronic Petition website called for the introduction of Apple's Find My service in the country, garnering over 9,000 signatures. The petitioner highlighted the frustration experienced by Korean users and users from abroad who lost their devices but were unable to use the Find My app to locate them. Apple previously said that the limitation was its inability to export high-precision map data out of the country because of local laws, but Korea also has strict privacy regulations that it may have come up against.
Regardless, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) apparently responded positively to the petition, and its acting chairman Kim Tae-gyu expressed support for bringing the Find My service to South Korea. The KCC also said it had been in ongoing talks with Apple about the timing of its introduction.
With the Find My network enabled, users will be able to to locate their iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other Apple devices, as well as AirTag-connected personal items and third-party Find My compatible trackers, while maintaining strong privacy protections.
One of the main features of the Find My network is its ability to pinpoint lost devices on a map, providing users with step-by-step directions to retrieve their misplaced items. The app also allows users to trigger a sound on their lost Apple devices, making it easier to locate them when in close proximity.
Find My also lets users stay connected with friends and family by opting to share their location with specific contacts. This can be useful when meeting up in crowded areas, particularly for owners of an iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro, who can take advantage of the Precision Finding capability to navigate directly to their friends' exact locations.
The original "Find My iPhone" app was launched in 2009 alongside iPhone OS 3. "Find My Mac" was added to OS X 10.7 Lion in 2011, while "Find My Friends" was released in October 2011. With the release of iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 Catalina, the functionality of Find My iPhone, Find My Mac, and Find My Friends was unified into the app we know today as Find My.
