How To Track A Phone Location in 2025

If you need to keep a tab on someone, learn how to track a phone without them knowing. Whether you need to check up on a suspicious spouse, ensure your child’s safety, monitor employees’ use of company devices, or simply find your phone, discreet phone tracking can give you essential insights.

With nearly half of parents and teens already using digital location tracking, the time is now to learn how you can protect yourself and your loved ones. Below, I’ll discuss the best tools available today to gain the info you need without alerting the person being tracked.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. The Best Ways to Track a Phone Location at a Glance
2. Why Do You Need to Track Someone’s Phone Location?
3. Other Ways to Track Someone’s Location
4. The Best Apps for Tracking Someone’s Location Compared
5. Conclusion
6. FAQs
7. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. The Best Ways to Track a Phone Location at a Glance
2. Why Do You Need to Track Someone’s Phone Location?
3. Other Ways to Track Someone’s Location
Show Full Guide
4. The Best Apps for Tracking Someone’s Location Compared
5. Conclusion
6. FAQs
7. References

The Best Ways to Track a Phone Location at a Glance

These are the best tracking apps we recommend for anyone wanting to track someone’s location.

1. mSpy – Best phone tracking app overall with huge range of extra features
2. Spynger – Best phone tracking app to monitor a partner
3. uMobix – Best phone tracking app for parents monitoring the location of their kids

Why Do You Need to Track Someone’s Phone Location?

Tracking someone’s phone location without them knowing can be essential for various reasons, giving you peace of mind and crucial information. Here are some motives I’ve encountered during my research on this topic:

• Parental Control – As someone who uses phone tracking apps for parental control, I can attest to their importance and positive impact on the parents’ well-being. Knowing my kids’ whereabouts, especially when they’re out with friends or on their way to school, gives me peace of mind. Real-time location tracking and geofencing ensure parents can quickly intervene if their kids are in an unexpected place, keeping them safe and sound. It’s a practical tool for balancing a child’s growing independence and parental need to ensure their safety.
• Tracking a Stolen Phone – How to find a phone location? If your phone gets stolen, the built-in tracking feature can save you a lot of trouble. You can pinpoint its exact location without alerting the thief and work with authorities to retrieve it. This feature not only helps in recovering the device but also prevents potential misuse of personal data. Considering how important phones are in our lives today, it’s reassuring to know that if your phone goes missing, you have a solid chance to find that phone’s location and get it back.
• Tracking Employees on Company Devices – Phone tracking is invaluable when managing a team of remote employees. It allows you to ensure that company devices are being used appropriately and all your team members are where they need to be during work hours. This level of oversight helps improve accountability and efficiency, ensuring company resources are used responsibly. It’s an effective way to maintain productivity and trust within a remote workforce.
• Tracking a Cheating Partner – Finding out your partner is cheating is never easy. I once used a discreet tracking app to confirm my suspicions about a partner who was being dishonest about their whereabouts. The insights I gained were crucial in making informed decisions about the relationship. It’s a sensitive situation, but having concrete information can be a lifeline. Some of the best cheating spouse tracking apps can even deliver content similar to what digital forensics use in divorce cases. Of course, it’s important to handle this ethically and be aware of the legal implications, but for those deeply concerned, tracking can provide the needed clarity.

How To Track A Phone Without Them Knowing - Step By Step

Here’s a quick step-by-step guide on how to track someone's phone using mSpy, one of the best around.

1. Create Your mSpy Account First, head over to mSpy’s official website and create an account. Enter your email, pick your operating system (I’m using Android for this guide), choose a plan, and subscribe. You’ll get an email with your login info, Control Panel link, and Installation URL. Keep this email handy.

   

2. Disable Play Protect on Your Phone

   Open the Google Play Store on the target phone. Tap the account icon on the top right, select Play Protect, and choose Settings. Disable “Improved Harmful App Detection” by sliding it to grey. Confirm your choice.

   

3. Install mSpy on the Device

   Now, with the target phone in hand, open the browser and enter the Installation URL from the mSpy email. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

4. Access mSpy Dashboard & Start Tracking

   Use your device to open the Control Panel URL from the email and log into your mSpy account. You’ll now have access to mSpy’s dashboard, where you can monitor the phone.

   

Other Ways to Track Someone’s Location

How to track someone’s phone without them knowing for free? There are several ways to track someone’s location discreetly and safely, but none are completely free. Let’s see how to track an Android phone or iPhone using these methods.

• Using Spy Apps – The Best spy apps like mSpy, uMobix, Eyezy, or Spynger are reliable, safe, and packed with robust location-tracking capabilities. These apps can track phones and monitor GPS locations, call logs, messages, social media, and more. Most of them do it in stealth mode, ensuring the tracked person is none the wiser. My top choice, mSpy, shines with its geo-fenced tracking, unmatched effectiveness, and intuitive interface. It’s the ideal solution for vigilant parents, worried partners, and employers needing to monitor a phone discreetly.
• Using Find My Device – Built-in tracking features have proven to be a lifesaver for countless users. I also used Google’s Find My Device for Android when I lost my phone during a hectic travel day. I logged in from a friend’s phone, and voilà – I could see my phone’s location on the map. iOS users can use Find My iPhone to locate their misplaced or stolen iPhones. This feature allows you to play a sound on your phone to help locate it if it’s nearby, and if you’re worried about sensitive information, you can remotely erase all data to keep it safe.
• Using WhatsApp – WhatsApp’s live location feature is handy for keeping track of friends or family during big events or trips. Whenever arranging a meetup in a crowded area, your group can use this feature to share real-time locations. Simply open a chat, tap the attachment icon, select Location, and choose Share Live Location. It updates in real-time, so you can see where everyone is. Unfortunately, WhatsApp’s minimum age limit for using its services in Europe is 16, curbing its role in parental control, so you might have to rely on one of the best WhatsApp spy apps instead.
• Using Social Media Check-Ins – Using social media check-ins is more suitable for young adults and teens as they are online almost constantly. Engaging on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, they frequently share their activities and locations with friends, often tagging themselves at places they visit. This habit makes it easier to keep track of their whereabouts. Additionally, young people tend to be more comfortable with sharing their location and other personal details online than older generations. Hence, this method is effective because it fits seamlessly into their social media usage patterns, making it a natural way to monitor their location.
• Using Google Earth – It is possible to track a cell phone location for free via Google Earth, but it requires some setup and the cooperation of the targeted person, as they must grant permission to share their location. You’ll need the person’s Google login credentials and phone number too. How does it work? Visit earth.google.com, log in with the target’s Google account, and enter their phone number. They will receive a message with a link they must click to grant permission for Google to access their location. You can then track them on Google Earth.
• Using a GPS Tracker – Physical GPS trackers, like those from Garmin, TrackingFox, or Tile, are perfect for attaching to vehicles, bags, or even pets, but not for mobile phone tracking. These devices provide real-time location updates, permitting you to track assets or keep an eye on your kids without relying on a smartphone. In my experience, physical tracking devices are mostly used for monitoring vehicles, including teens and company cars. It’s crucial to tackle the legality of GPS tracking devices which varies by jurisdiction. To be safe, always inform the person about the tracking and obtain their consent. Discuss the use of these devices with teens to ensure transparency and trust.

The Best Apps for Tracking Someone’s Location Compared

Want to keep tabs on someone’s whereabouts? Check out our ultimate table, showcasing the best tracking apps and their top-notch features!

Dive in and discover which one suits your needs.

Provider Starting Price No. Of Devices Best For Free Trial/Demo Money-back Guarantee Compatibility mSpy $11.67/month 1 Overall Location Tracking & Robust Feature Set ✅ 14 days Android, iOS Spynger $9.28/month 1 Tracking Cheating Partners ❌ 30 days Android, iOS uMobix $12.49/month$ 1 Tracking With Strong Keylogger ✅ 14 days Android, iOS Scannero $0.89/month Unlimited Location Tracking With No App Install ❌ ❌ Android, iOS Spybubble Pro $12.49/month 1 Location Tracking & Recovering Deleted Content ❌ 14 days Android, iOS KidsGuard by ClevGuard $5.83/month 1 Parents Who Want To Track Their Kids’ Phone ✅ 30 days Android, iOS, Windows, Mac Eyezy $7.99/month 1 Location Tracking Plus Real-Time Keyword Alerts ✅ 14 days Android, iOS Phonsee 8.85/month 1 Budget-Conscious Users ✅ 14 days Android, iOS Methodology How We Test and Review Monitoring Software

To ensure our recommendations of monitoring and spyware apps are completely accurate and unbiased, we appraise each of them on the following criteria:

✓ Features: We evaluate each app not only on the range of key features it provides, but also how well they perform their function. Key features we examine include, but are not limited to, call monitoring, screen recording, keylogging, GPS tracking, remote device control, and ambient recording. 

✓ Price and value for money: The overall value for money of an app is determined by examining its features and how well they perform, in relation to its cost. We take into consideration a software’s different pricing tiers, as well as score it on whether it offers a free trial, any money back guarantees, and flexible payment structures. The cost is also compared to its competition to determine where it sits in the market in terms of price point.   

✓ Device compatibility: Some monitoring software is only available on certain types of device. We assess which operating systems the software is compatible with, such as iOS and Android, and whether the apps offer dashboards that are accessible on both mobile and desktop. 

✓ User experience: We spend days using the app to evaluate whether it operates as advertised, as well as analyzing how intuitive its menus are, whether the data is easy to understand, and how easy it is to install onto a device. Critically, we interrogate whether installation requires jailbreaking (for iOS) or rooting (for Android) the target device. 

✓ Privacy and security: We deep-dive each piece of software’s encryption measures to ensure it provides true protection of user data. We also assess how often and thoroughly the provider updates its security systems, as well as whether they adhere to privacy regulations. We will never recommend an app that puts user data at risk. 

✓ Customer support and experience: We assess each software provider’s documentation and support measures, such as helplines and chatbots, to establish how well its customers are supported once the purchase is made. We also analyze existing customer feedback to create a picture of user satisfaction. 

Conclusion

Tracking a phone location discreetly can be achieved through various methods like using built-in features on your phone, social media check-ins, and physical GPS trackers. However, spy apps stand out for their comprehensive and stealthy capabilities.

Spy apps, like mSpy, offer real-time GPS tracking, call and message monitoring, and even social media activity tracking – all while remaining undetected. In my experience, mSpy’s user-friendly interface and powerful features make it the ultimate cell phone tracker. Its geo-fencing alerts you when the phone enters or leaves specific areas, making it a handy tool for parents, partners, and employers alike.

FAQs How to track a phone without them knowing?

To track a phone without them knowing, use spy apps like mSpy, which operate in stealth mode. These apps provide discreet real-time tracking and monitoring.

How to track a phone location for free?

To track phone location free of charge, use built-in features like Google’s Find My Device for Android or Apple’s Find My iPhone. These services help you track a phone for free, but you need to cooperate with the phone owner.

Can I track a phone with just a number?

Yes. Tracking a phone with just a phone number is possible via advanced phone trackers and online tools. To track location by phone number, you would need to use specialized third-party apps or services that can access location data through the phone carrier’s network or other means.

How to track an Android phone?

You can use Google’s Find My Device. Log in with the Google account linked to the phone, and you can track, lock, or erase it remotely. If you want to track a phone in stealth mode, opt for spy apps such as mSpy or Spynger.

Is tracking someone’s phone legal?

It depends. Tracking phone location without the owner’s consent is usually illegal. Always ensure you have permission or you comply with local laws, especially for minors or employees.

References

• Digital Location Tracking: A Preliminary Investigation of Parents’ Use of Digital Technology to Monitor Their Adolescent’s Location  –  APA PsycArticles
• How Using Parental Control Software Can Enhance Parents’ Well-Being: The Role of Product Features on Parental Efficacy and Stress – Sage Journals
• Privacy Paradox and Location Sharing: Why Do Young People Invite Others to Monitor Their Movement and Activities? – SSRN
• The Legality Of GPS Tracking Devices – Intensity Law

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