How To Track a Cell Phone Location Without Them Knowing?

It is easy to track a person’s location using cell phone. When the location or GPS settings are on, you can track the location of the cell phone and the person. The problem is when you want to track the location without the person’s knowledge.

For various reasons, you may want to track a person’s location. And you wouldn’t want them to know it.

Most importantly, you don’t want to jump through hoops to do this, after all, not all of us are tech geniuses. Tracking someone using their location seems to be a technically challenging job. Not everyone would have the skills needed to do this.

You need a solution that can be used easily, will work effectively, and most importantly cannot be found out by the person being tracked. In this guide, we give you effective solutions to be able to track a cell phone’s location without the owner’s knowledge.

Tracking cell phone location without them knowing

A question you may have is why and when would you want to track a person’s location without their knowledge.

The most important reason (and hopefully the reason why you are reading this article) is to keep tabs on your children.

When your children are outside home, you may have a concern about where they go and what they do. This is not to spy on them but out of concern for their safety. Kids are rebellious by nature and will not like it if you track them.

The solution is to track them without their knowledge. As a parent, you will want to do it so that you know where they are at all times. If they go to a place that is not safe, then you can intervene.

Employers may want to track their field staffs’ location. Some employees unscrupulously prepare fake travel bills without actually traveling. Tracking their location will help identify this. It can help in stopping scams.

Tracking: Free vs. Paid methods

When you want to track someone without them knowing, the obvious way is to use a tool for this purpose. The tool could be an app that is installed on their mobile phones. With the app installed, you will be able to know their location. Of course, the app has to be installed without their knowledge.

There are both free and paid apps to do this work. Free methods involve tools or apps you can use without having to pay money. They are naturally attractive to use since you don’t have to spend money. However, free methods cannot be 100% relied upon. They are usually less accurate or less discrete than their paid counterpart.

This is why using a paid method is a better option. When you pay money to a provider, you can expect accurate results. Paid methods would ensure you can perfectly track the cell phone location without errors. If you are serious about your tracking needs then using a paid method is preferable.

We tell you all about both free and paid methods. You can evaluate the methods based on the information given. You can then decide which of these methods to use.

Method 1: ‘Find My Device’ for Android and ‘Find My Phone’ for iOS

Whether you have an iPhone (or an iOS phone) or an Android phone, you can track the phone easily. There are native tracking apps that are available to help you in your work. Both iOS and Android have their own ways of helping you track the cell phone. While these ways seem to be helpful, there are quite a few limitations of these ways. Let’s understand them in detail.

Let’s first look at the iOS option. iPhones and Apple devices have an app called ‘Find my Phone’. All you have to do is use this app to track the phone you want. Enter the ID of the Apple device you want to track and you can see its location. This is a free method that looks easy and simple, but there are many problems here.

The first issue is related to the iCloud login. You can use this option only if you have the iCloud login access for the phone. Without this option, you cannot use this native app. The main problem with using this app is that it does not ensure a stealth tracking. This means the other person can find out that you are tracking their location.

Another problem that some users have experienced is with respect to server error and connection errors. There are cases where error messages are displayed while trying to track the phone’s location. Some users have reported getting this frustrating error message. This could be a problem while using the app.

Similar types of problems are seen with the Android version of this app.

On Android devices you need to install the ‘Find my device’ app. This is again simple to use but the rider is you need to know the Gmail or google ID and password. Note that knowing the Gmail ID is not enough, you also need to know the password.

When you open the Find my device app, you will be asked to enter the google credentials for the device you want to track.

Once you enter the login and password, you can see a map showing the device’s location.

The problem with this method is you need to know the credentials, which is very difficult to know.

A further requirement is that you need to go to the settings menu and keep find my device turned on. If it is turned off, then it is not possible to track the phone’s location.

There is no stealth involved in this method and the other person can find out that their location is being tracked. Another problem is this option is available only for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or later versions.

You cannot use this for the older versions. Some mobile phones (like Samsung) have their own version of this app.

These are free methods, simple, and easy to use. But you must know using them requires the iCloud or Gmail login (as applicable). Also, the other person will know they are being tracked. This defeats the very purpose of tracking the phone with their knowledge.

Method 2 (Our recommended way) – Using mSpy

The previously mentioned methods are free, but their limitations are such that they are not used for stealth tracking. If you want effective results, then you need to use a paid method. When you pay for a method and buy an app, you are assured of its reliability. If it does not work, you can always contact the app makers for support.

One of the best methods to track a cell phone location is a tool known as mSpy. This tool is extremely handy and will most likely meet your requirements. This is why we recommend this app. Read on to know complete details about this app.

mSpy and its features

mSpy is a third party app you can use to track a cell phone and show its location. You can do it without the other party coming to know of it. mSpy is essentially a parental control software. The purpose behind creating this software is to help parents keep a track of their kids. As mentioned above, parents who are concerned about their kids’ safety would like to keep an eye on them.

mSpy app helps to do that effectively. You can easily find out where the cell phone is at any given time. Being a parental control tool, it has other features like being able to see the messages sent. You can even check the browsing history using this app. The best part of this app is the cell phone user will never know they are being tracked.

This is extremely important in today’s day and age where a mobile phone exposes your kids to all sorts of experiences on the internet, it is extremely important to keep a close eye on them and mSpy helps you do that.

mSpy is available for both the Android and iOS platforms. Since it is a parental control software, it has multiple features that make it very useful if you want to track what someone is up to. The app shows you the accurate location of the device on Google Maps and the other person will not know it.

How to use mSpy?

The first thing is to install this app on the target cell phone. This is a third party app that has to be installed and set up before it can be used. So, the first prerequisite is you need access to the phone. You need to find some way to get your hands on the phone. Once you have the phone with you, it takes hardly a little time to install mSpy.

On Android, this is how you use mSpy:

Before the installation, there is a vital step to complete. You need to find Google Play Protect and disable it. Without doing this, you can’t install the app since Play Protect will not allow it.

With Play Protect disabled, you can now install apps from sources outside the playstore. .

You must know the app is NOT available on Play Store. You need to download the file from the mSpy website and then install it by following the instructions.

As you install, note down the phone’s model, number, and other details. Once the installation is complete, your work with the phone is over, and you can stop using it.

Now open mSpy from your mobile or other device. Enter the phone details, and you can track the phone.

The phone user will never know they are being tracked. There is no icon created nor is it shown in the app list. Even kids who are technically knowledgeable will never know the app is installed on their phones.

Let’s now see how to install mSpy on iOS:

You may require the iCloud credentials of the device to be able to install the app. If you can find the credentials, you can install the app without physically accessing the device. This option won’t work if the user has activated two-factor authentication.

Follow the instructions on the mSpy website to install it on the iOS phone. You will probably need to have access to the phone while carrying out the installation.

Once installed, using it is similar to the Android phone. Enter the phone details and you can start tracking. The user will never know what is going on.

What We Like About mSpy?

mSpy is a very useful app that works on both Android and iOS phones. It is fairly simple to install as long as you get access to the phone once. The biggest benefit of this app is that once installed, there is no way the phone user will come to know of it. You can track the phone’s location and other data without the other person knowing.

The location history would be shown, which means you need not track the phone on a real time basis. You can see on your dashboard, the dates and times along with the locations visited. Another handy feature is geofencing. This allows you to create virtual fences or zones. With these fences on, you will get an alert if the user enters a particular area.

This is very useful for parents who want to know if their children visit certain places they are not supposed to go. Apart from location tracking, there are many other useful options available making this a great app to use.

What we don’t like about mSpy?

This is not a free app. The high price of the app is one of the cons of this app. If you want to use this app on multiple devices, it requires multiple subscriptions. You need to buy a subscription for each device used.

Pricing of mSpy

mSpy works on a monthly billing system. The first month’s fee is $49 and when you renew the app you need to pay $70. This is the pricing for one device. The longer you subscribe to this tool, the better is the pricing. A 3-month plan costs $28 a month and renewal is $40. If you choose an annual plan, it costs $11.66 per month, so going for an annual plan is the cheapest option available.

While the pricing is high if you opt for a short duration, choosing the annual plan works out to be lesser.

Guarantee/Warranty

Mspy offers a 10-day money back guarantee. You can learn more about it on their website.

Method 3 – Using Eyezy

Eyezy is another app similar to mSpy and can help you track a phone’s location easily. If you are looking for a reliable app, then this paid app can be helpful. Let’s look at this app in detail to understand all about it.

What can Eyezy do?

Eyezy is a phone tracking app that makes use of AI or artificial intelligence to track a phone’s location. Apart from tracking the location, the app can also monitor text messages, calls, websites browsed, and Instagram activity of the user. The app is a useful one if you want to track someone online.

Parents can use this app to keep a track on their kid, so they know where they go. The added advantages are being able to read their messages and also check their browsing history. The app is projected as an Instagram tracker that allows you to see what a person is doing on Instagram.

How can you use Eyezy?

Once you subscribe to Eyezy, you can then install it on the phone you want to track. Naturally, you need access to the phone. If you want to jailbreak the phone, then it is going to take a lot of time. Else, you need access for just 10 minutes. Within this time, you can complete installation and have the app running. The phone owner will never know the app is installed, running, and tracking them.

This app is not available through the app store. You need to download it from the link given in the website. You require access to the phone while installing else you will not be able to install successfully. There are setting to be changed, and you can do it by following the instructions on their website.

The app has many features but the one that would interest you the most in the Pinpoint feature that will help you track the location.

You need to open the app on your computer or mobile and select this option. Once you enter the mobile number and details, it will display the location on the map. This makes it easy to track a mobile phone location at any time. All this happens without the knowledge of the phone owner. This makes this app very handy helping you track a person’s location.

Why we like Eyezy?

Eyezy is a very useful app that is simple and easy to use. Installation requires just around 10 minutes. The app is easy to use, and you can quickly track the location of a mobile phone. The app works on all operating systems of mobile. It works on iOS as well as on Android. Apart from tracking the location, it has many other useful options.

You can track a person’s Instagram activity. You can check their messages and also go through their browsing history. This would be useful for parents to keep a track of their children’s online activity.

What we don’t like about Eyezy?
While Eyezy is a useful app for location tracking, there are a few things we don’t like about it. The first is the price, which is quite high. If you need to use this app for a month, then you need to pay $47, which is a bit expensive. While longer duration plans are expensive, you may not want to track a phone for a long time.

While the app works on all iOS versions, there are some limitations for Android. It works only on version 4 and above. You cannot use it for older Android versions.

How much does it cost?

The app is priced at $47 for a one month plan. The longer the period you subscribe to the app, the better is the pricing. If you subscribe for 3 months, then the price is $27.99 per month. The best pricing is for the annual plan, which works out to $9.99 per month. All prices are for one device.

Any guarantees or warranties?

Eyezy offers a 14-day money-back guarantee but it doesn’t work so easily. The refund is applicable only if there are technical issues experienced, which the customer support cannot solve.

Conclusion

It is possible to track someone’s location using their cell phone.

It is also possible to do this without them knowing about it. Whatever the reason for doing this is, tracking is an easy option. There are free and paid methods that we presented above. The comprehensive information provided would have helped you understand about all these methods.

In this guide we recommend you use mSpy, because they have been around the longest and have a numerous amount of features that will satisfy all your tracking needs, however they are a bit pricey.

If you are looking for a cheaper alternative that still packs a punch then Eyezy is your go to.

The free method discussed is still quite effective however they have their drawbacks.

Ultimately, the decision is yours to take. Use all the information provided to make your decision. You need to ensure the method used is reliable and would work properly. Most importantly, the phone user must not be able to know they are being tracked.