How To GPS Track a Phone: A Comprehensive Guide | Burner

How To GPS Track a Phone: A Comprehensive Guide

Written By:

Burner Team

Reviewed By:

Joshua Sosin

Using phones to determine someone’s location has been around since the invention of the telephone. After all, if you called the landline of a certain location and someone answered the phone, you would know where they were. A parent could call their home from work and instantly know their child made it home from school as soon as they answered. Since landlines are slowly going the way of the dinosaur, using this method isn’t quite as viable as it used to be.

The invention of cell phones made it possible to call anyone at any time from any location. A kid could answer their cell phone and say they’re at home but secretly went to the mall or a friend’s house. You might think that level of freedom would make it harder to find someone. However, it’s actually made it much easier, thanks to the concept of localization.

What Is Localization?

Localization pinpoints a user's region and is why apps function in different languages around the world.

For example, TikTok is a Chinese social media company, so the original software was created to support the Chinese language. Not only does the Chinese language use different symbols than English, but it’s written in vertical columns and read from top to bottom. The concept of localization is why the American users of TikTok view the app in English.

In the modern world, localization is essential for efficient global communication. How much better would an app be that’s default setting is another language? While localization plays an important role in tracking phone locations, it’s merely the name of the technique. The reason that localization is possible is due to something called GPS tracking.

What Is GPS Tracking?

GPS is short for global position system, and it’s practically guaranteed that you’ve used it before. Navigational apps such as Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, and MapQuest all use satellites to pinpoint the real-time location of your phone. By doing so, it can create an accurate route to whatever destination you’ve entered.

The same concept can be applied to tracking a package that’s being shipped, a work vehicle that’s out on a remote job, or the cell phone location of your child.

How Can You Track Another Phone?

Tracking another phone isn’t very difficult as long as you have access to it. Cell carriers and phone manufacturers know that people can lose their phones or have them stolen. Enabling location sharing on their device makes it much easier to recover their lost or stolen phones.

Before we get into how to prevent your phone from being tracked, let’s go over the different ways that you can track a phone:

Google Maps

Google Maps is the leading navigational app in the United States. Anyone that’s looking to track an Android should start with Google Maps:

  1. Add your Gmail account information or Google Contact on the target phone.
  2. Open the Google Maps app.
  3. Click on the profile located at the top right of the screen.
  4. Select the “Location Sharing” feature followed by “New Share.”
  5. Choose your Google contact information from the list and select “Share.”
  6. Set the duration for “Until You Turn This Off” so location sharing is permanent.

Find My Device

Another option for Android users is to use the Find My Device app. To keep close tabs on an Android phone, it might be better to use Google’s Find My Device instead.

  1. Download the Find My Device from the Google Play Store onto the target phone.
  2. Launch the app and enable the location tracking feature.
  3. Open the FindMyDevice website on your personal device.
  4. Enter the Gmail account information or Google Contact of the target phone into the search bar.
  5. You should be able to pinpoint the exact location as long as the phone is turned on and is connected to the internet (either via Wi-Fi or mobile data).

Find My iPhone

For iPhone users, it’s actually much easier as the tracking apps usually come pre-installed on iOS devices. You can use location tracking for most Apple devices. This includes iPhones, iPads, iPods, and Macs.

  1. Open the Find My iPhone on the target phone and select the “Settings” option.
  2. Tap the “Choose Your Account” followed by “Share My Location.”
  3. Once enabled, now you’ll need to visit iCloud and sign in.
  4. Go to the “Find My iPhone” option and click “All Devices.”
  5. Select the device that you want to locate, and it will appear on a map.

Find My Friends

If you have a phone using iOS 13 or later, then you’ll have access to the superior Find My iPhone free app. For phones using iOS 9 through 12, you’ll need to use the Find My Friends app instead.

  1. Open the Find My Friends app on the target device.
  2. Select the “Start Sharing Location” at the bottom.
  3. Click on the plus icon and enter the information for your phone.
  4. Press the “Send” option, and be sure to select “Share Indefinitely.”

IMEI Tracker

Every phone has a unique 15-digit number that’s known as the International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI for short. The number can be used to help track stolen or lost phones. Here is how you can learn the IMEI number:

  1. Open the “Settings” app on the target phone.
  2. Click on the “General” option followed by “About.”
  3. You should be able to find the IMEI here, but it might require additional steps with older phones.
  4. If you can’t find it, dial #06# on your Phone app, and it should display the IMEI number for the device.

Third-Party Apps

There are a few apps specifically created to help parents keep tabs on their kids. Apps such as SPYERA or Localize can help track a phone just as well as anything offered by Android or Apple.

Conclusion

Tracking phones is fairly simple as long as you have access to the target phone. It’s a feature that’s typically used by parents who are concerned about the whereabouts of their kids. Enabling GPS location sharing is an excellent way for people to know the exact location of loved ones and family members.