Search
Close this search box.

8 Free Apps to Track a Cell Phone Location for Free

person holding black samsung android smartphone
Do you want to track a cell phone without spending any money? Read our ultimate guide on the 8 best apps to track a target phone.

Table of Contents

Everyone has a smartphone these days, and it isn’t easy to imagine life without one in today’s digital age. However, the problem arises if you have lost your phone and don’t know how to find it using a free phone tracking system. And what about situations when you want to know the location of a loved one? How do they share that with you? Does Find My iPhone really work?

A good cell phone location tracker will simplify your and your family’s tracking requirements in more ways than you can imagine. Unfortunately, wandering around in the market without any guidance will only fetch you ineffective choices that don’t work and may even infect your device with viruses. Perhaps that’s why you’re here today — to get your hands on solutions that work! So let’s get to it.

Track a Cell Phone Location for Free

phone tracker app makes tracking the position of a smartphone a breeze. When you lose a phone or tablet or someone steals it, you can simply use one of these software tools to track down and retrieve it.

Not to forget, you can even use them to keep an eye on your kids. You can see the location of your child’s phone and other data like call history, internet activity, and social media messages.

In this article, we’ll provide you with not one but eight effective techniques to track a cell phone’s location, and that too, for free. Yes, we’re aware of the reputation of free tools and how the masses perceive them.

But rest assured because the methods we’re going to hand you are tested, reliable, and malware-free. Moreover, you don’t even need to be tech-savvy to use these tools.

 

Tracking Someone Else’s Phone with Permission

Individuals with cell phones can resort to various location-sharing applications to inform others of their position. Plus, platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Swarm have location-sensitive check-in functions and tracking features as well.

Indeed, you can simply call and requtest a person’s location, but what if you can’t get through to them or they have no clue of where they are and can’t give you their location? This is where a free cell phone location app comes into the picture.

NOTE: It’s ill-advised and illegal to track someone’s location without their permission.

Here are our top 8 choices for a location tracker.

  1. Google Maps

Google Maps is perhaps the simplest method to keep track of a family member or friend’s location. They can share their current location in real-time with you using this app.

Google Maps is a highly value-rich navigation tool that enables you to find the location quickly and easily. It comes in extremely handy when riding a bike or driving a vehicle.

It has features that specifically cater to discovering a particular individual who’s shared their location with you. For example, when you open Google Maps after receiving a location, they’ll see their icon (position) on the map.

The biggest benefit of this application is that it costs absolutely nothing. It is also one of the top-rated apps. Learn more.

Features:

  • The location-sharing feature on the target device makes it simple to allow access to the device’s location.
  • Easily track multiple devices at once.
  • Location tracking is accurate via WiFi, GPRS, or GPS.

Compatible OS:

It works on both Android and iOS smartphones.

  1. Find My Friends

Apple Inc.’s Find My Friends service is a location-based feature for Apple iOS devices. This app allows you to track your family members’ current locations.

All in all, it’s an excellent tool if you’re looking for a free tool to track a cell phone.

Features:

  • The Find My Friends app’s location tracking is extremely fast and secure.
  • It is available for free download from the Apple App Store.
  • It enables users to track multiple iOS devices simultaneously.

Compatible OS:

Find My Friends works with iOS devices only.

  1. Carrier Apps

Several cell phone carriers offer family location services. A lot of major networks, too, provide phone tracking solutions and apps, which usually tag along with a wide variety of family security and location-based services and features.

For example, AT&T’s Secure Family app, Sprint’s Safe & Found, and Verizon’s Smart Family all offer similar functionality. Also, all of them have a free trial period but require a subscription fee to continue enjoying them.

Carrier apps operate more or less similarly — you sign up on them with your family members, and they help you track each other’s locations whenever it’s called for.

That said, each one comes with a few functions that are unique to that particular operator. For example, the T-Mobile variant has scheduled checks that enable you to receive notifications throughout the day.

  1. Use Native Phone Locator

Every desktop or smartphone device has in-built or native tracking software. These are good, easy-to-use, and free cell phone location trackers.

Features:

  • Location sharing through GPS tracking.
  • Prepare safe zones based on GPS data.
  • You can know a location’s history as well.
  • In case your cell phone is stolen or lost, the native location tracker would be good enough for you to locate it easily.
  • Notifications informing you of any changes in the location of your family.

Compatible OS:

Native phone locators are available on both Android and iOS smartphones.

  1. ‘Find My Device’ for Android

Find My Device enables remote tracking of a phone. It is a Google Play Protect component designed to protect your phone from harmful applications and illegal access. That said, its primary purpose is to track a missing or stolen phone.

Start monitoring your child’s Android mobile by installing this free app. You may also use it to lock your device, remotely reset your PIN, or delete data.

Features:

  • Track the current position of a device in only a few easy steps.
  • Several tasks can be carried out remotely, including wiping, locating, and ringing the device.

Compatible OS:

This particular ‘Find My Device’ feature is only for Android devices.

  1. ‘Find My iPhone’ for iOS

Find My iPhone is identical to Android’s Find My Mobile. The only distinction between the two is that the former comes pre-installed on iOS devices, whereas the latter needs to be manually installed from the Google Play store.

As long as your iPhone (or any other Apple product) is connected to the internet, you can use the Find My iPhone feature to track its location, secure or erase its data if need be. Moreover, you can also track the said devices via iCloud.com.

Features:

  • Keep yourself updated with the target device’s live position.
  • Comes pre-installed on every iOS device.

Compatible OS:

iOS devices only.

  1. Search via WhitePages

WhitePages is your go-to option when you don’t need to know someone’s live location but only their current residential address. Entering a phone number into WhitePages will give you the address associated with that particular number.

 

The service provides access to various information, including criminal histories, relatives, acquaintances, and maiden names. Additionally, you can use the app version of WhitePages if it’s available in your country.

Features:

  • Allows you to check for a telephone number, a home address, an area code, a ZIP code, or a postal code for free.
  • Enables you to conduct a nationwide telephone directory search using just the first and last names.
  • Many of them include reverse lookups, allowing you to locate an address just by inputting the associated phone number.
  • You may access it from any computer, tablet, or smartphone with an internet connection.

Compatible OS:

Works with both Android and iOS phones and tablets.

  1. Caller ID Name (CNAM) Lookup

The CNAM is a potent way to find a caller’s phone location by simply using their number. The owner’s name, city, and state are cherries on the top.

Features:

  • Easy location tracking.
  • Assigns spam ratings to phone numbers, safeguarding you from scamsters.

Compatible OS:

CNAM can be used on both Android and iOS smartphones.

 

Bottom Line

Use any of the tools mentioned above to track the cell phone location of your family or friends — caring for their safety just got easier! Google Maps is possibly the best way to find someone’s location if they’re happy to share it with you and know how to use Google Maps. But for someone who’s technically inept or is unable to share their location, you can resort to tools such as WhitePages, CNAM, or carrier apps.

FAQ

How to track an iPhone without installing software?

You can use spy apps such as XNSPY and SpyMasterPro that track iPhones through iCloud and iTunes data. These apps can help you track any iPhone from your computer. However, you need permission from the device that you want to track.

Can I track an Android phone using just the phone number?

You can simply use the Find My Device feature or other carrier apps with family subscriptions to track the number of people from your family. However, if you want to track an anonymous Android number, you have to resort to third-party phone trackers such as Cocospy or uMobix.

How can I locate a cell phone that is abroad?

Just share the IMEI number of the smartphone with the cellular service provider. They will then track the last known location of the phone but only if the SIM card is still in the phone.

How do I track the location of a cell phone for free without access to the phone?

You can conduct cell phone tracking by leveraging a phone lookup service such as the CNAM. Alternatively, you can use phone spy tracking apps wherein you just need to enter the phone number of the devices you want to track.

How would I anonymously track someone’s phone location?

An adept phone tracking tool can help you easily track someone by their cell phone number, even without their consent. Using a spy app is a great way to keep an eye on what’s going on in the lives of those you care about. The phone’s location is recorded and sent to you in real-time by these apps, which run in the background.

Can I track a cell phone even if the location is turned off?

Turning off the location usually makes a smartphone untraceable. However, there are other ways you can use to track phones with their location turned off, including public WiFi networks, cell phone network towers, and spyware.

How do I secretly track a cell phone?

Install a spy app discreetly on someone’s phone to follow their position. These phone spying apps track nearly all of the target phone’s activities, including their calls, messages, Google Maps location, web history, and social media activity such as posts and texts on Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Telegram.

Picture of Kossi Adzo

Kossi Adzo

Kossi Adzo is a technology enthusiast and digital strategist with a fervent passion for Apple products and the innovative technologies that orbit them. With a background in computer science and a decade of experience in app development and digital marketing, Kossi brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to the Apple Gazette team.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts