With the rapid development of the Internet, phones are not just communication devices—they hold vast amounts of personal data. If you want to prevent privacy breaches or protect your phone’s security, this article will show you how to track a cell phone’s location and recommend effective tracking tools.
Why Do You Need to Track a Cell Phone Location?
Our phones are practically a part of our lives, so why do we keep track of them? That is to avoid losing our phones for example if the phone is stolen by a thief or left in a taxi. You may feel that this will invade the privacy of the owner of the phone, so protecting personal property safety in an emergency is more important.
Above these situations, the location of the mobile phone can also help parents confirm the safety of their children. And help you find people who have been lost in the wild.
Nowadays, it is very convenient to track the location of mobile phones through the Internet or satellites. Next, we will share useful location-tracking apps. Hope it will be helpful to you.
How to Track a Cell Phone Location?
Among these good options provided, the most convenient choice for normal people is to download a location-tracking app. Here are some reliable applications.
By Phone Number
You can use the phone number to find your location by downloading a phone tracker app. For example, mSpy is a good choice. It allows you to track a target phone’s location, and access call logs, messages, and social media activity.
mSpy offers a range of features for remote surveillance, helping users keep monitoring devices. Many of these tracking tools keep track of the last time and IP address you used to sign up or log in to your social media app, like Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube.
Let’s take the steps of using the website “Mobile Number Tracker” as an example:
- Open the website on a browser.
- Type out the phone number you want to track.
- Select the country of the number.
- You can view it from the user space on the website.
It is important to note that it is unethical to use these tools and phone numbers to track other people’s phones. But it can help a lot in special circumstances, such as law enforcement agencies that need to intervene in an investigation or emergency rescue.
Location Tracking Websites
Both Android and IOS can track devices via a location tracking website, including Find My Device Website, Samsung SmartThings Find, and Apple Find My Website. Take Google Find My Device Website as an example.
Find My Device is designed to locate lost phones and can track location accurately. To use it to track phone location for free, please make sure:
- The phone has logged into a Google account.
- It is enabled Location and Find My Device.
- The phone is visible on Google Play and online.
Then you can follow the below steps to track a phone location:
- You can directly visit the website of Find My Device in a browser.
2. Log into the target phone’s Google account.
3. Now, you can see the Find My Device platform with a map on the right. There is more than one device connected to the account, choose the phone you need to track.
4. As far as their phones are on and use Wi-Fi or mobile data, you will see where they are.
With Cell Phone Carrier Service
When you use your phone, signals travel back and forth to the nearest cell tower. Cell carriers can calculate the general area of your phone by measuring the time it takes for a signal to travel back and forth when you use your phone.
This technology provides a more accurate reading by combining location data from three cell towers. The primary purpose of this technology is to assist 911 operators in locating callers, and pinpointing the phone’s location within a 300-meter area.
Via the Location Sharing Feature of Social Apps (WeChat, for example)
WeChat comes with a location-sharing function. You can contact friends or family in advance, turn on location sharing, and you can share each other’s real-time location. Then long press the circular icon with six small dots at the bottom it can be used as an intercom, but only one person can speak at a time.
Using Location Tracker Apps
Within these location tracker apps, you can get the devices’ location directly. You don’t need to intercept the text codes or know their phone number. Our next section will introduce to you some of the best tracking apps for iPhone and Android. If you are interested, read ahead.
Best Tracking Apps for iPhone and Android
Find my Friends(iOS Official App)
The app can be found directly in the Apple Store and is an official location-sharing app created by Apple. Make it more convenient for Apple users to use the location-sharing feature on the iPhone. This app can be used on iPhones, iPads, and iPods.
- iPhone users can easily track their friends and family through their devices.
- You can stop sharing locations anytime you want.
- Users will need to accept the location-sharing request before they start to share the location.
- Precise and real-time location is provided.
Google Maps
Google Maps has added a feature that allows you to share your location with your phone contacts. So you can find your friends’ locations anytime and anywhere or observe if their daily routines are too different from usual, and better care about their safety.
Google Maps is very easy to use, and location sharing is just one of the features of this software, so it doesn’t need to take up extra memory.
- You can choose who you’d like to share your location with, and also the duration of the location sharing.
- Provide real-time and precise location sharing.
- Supported by iOS and Android devices.
- It also maintains a timeline of your past locations.
Life360
Life360 is also a good choice. It mainly provides location-sharing features for family members. It is also available on both Android and iOS. So even family members with different devices can share their addresses. If you are very concerned about the safety of the elderly and children, download Life360.
- Share the family’s real-time location.
- You can turn off location sharing whenever you want.
- Provides an in-app messaging feature for communications.
- Support cross-platform location sharing.
- Supported by Android and iPhone.
GPS Location Tracking
Another recommended app is the GPS phone tracker, which provides social and location sharing among friends and family. It is user-friendly and enables you to track the whereabouts of your loved ones more effectively.
- Share the real-time locations with your friends and family.
- The app will keep running in the background.
- Can be applied on Android devices (Android 4.4 and up).
Can Someone Track My Phone Without Me Knowing?
Your phone’s location can easily be monitored by individuals with varying intentions, such as your ex, family members, or even governmental authorities. They can achieve this by configuring internet settings or installing tracking software on your device.
In some cases, these individuals may have the capability to not only track your phone’s location but also spy on its screen activities and access the data stored on the device. If you are unguarded and clueless, it is indeed difficult to detect these hidden threats.
How Can I Prevent My Phone from Being Tracked?
Although the privacy of individuals is very serious these days, don’t worry. We will show you some traces that can be unearthed to prevent privacy leaks.
Signs that your phone is being tracked:
- Unusual battery loss
- Strange noise when answering the phone
- New, unknown apps on your phone
- Increased data usage
- An unidentified verification code
- Increased screen time usage
- Phone answering was delayed
Measures to take:
- Don’t use unfamiliar domains frequently
- Keep your system version updated
- Avoid the downloading of apps. with unfamiliar source
- Be cautious with unexpected texts
- Check battery health and storage space regularly
- Regularly review the software’s location-sharing permissions
- Use an anti-spyware and phone security app, such as VPN.
(Try LightningX VPN.)
- It can help you hide your IP address, with high internet speed and assured security.
- Unlimited access to global content with no bandwidth or speed limits, and possess nodes over 50 counties around the world.
- Simple to use, you can connect it with just one click.
- Compatible with multiple devices.
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FAQ about Track a Cell Phone Location
Q: Do these apps leak my privacy?
A: These apps are relatively safe to use. Some can be turned off location sharing after use, while others require you to read the app’s policies or turn off the app’s location permissions in your phone’s settings.
Q: Can I track somebody’s location without him or her knowing?
A: The answer is yes. You can track someone’s location online through a tracking app or phone number without anyone noticing, but it still leaves some traces.
Q: Is It Possible to Track a Phone without Installing Any App?
A: Yes, built-in services like Apple Find My, Google Find My Device, or carrier services can be used.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many ways to track a cell phone, including location trackers, tracking websites, location-sharing features on social media, or some tracking apps. And most of the above are free. Get one to keep your family or friends safe and find your lost phone more easily.
