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If you are a concerned parent worried about your kids' daily whereabouts or an employer who wants to track employees' travel routes and timesheets, or if you just lost or misplaced your phone, being able to track a phone's location is essential.
We are worried parents ourselves. So we tried a few methods to track our kids' location. In the process, we tested all top spy apps, IMEI tracking, CNAM lookup, location tracking on GMaps, and more to track a phone location.
So do any of these methods help?
Yes! Spy apps and phone tracking services made locating someone by phone number possible and easy. Not just that, with this advancement in GPS and phone technologies, you can even check the location history of a cell phone and get real-time location alerts.
Spyware and Legal Note: To track a phone's location with spy apps, you need to install hidden spyware on the target person's phone without them knowing about it. Installing spyware this way is illegal in many countries. We do not encourage anyone to do any such ILLEGAL activity. So, make sure you are legally allowed to use spy apps listed here in your country.
Also, many spy apps and number lookout services are on the market, but not all are reliable. We've listed some of the most effective ones below to help you choose a reliable app or website for tracking a person's location.
If you are looking for an app to track your kid's current location or track the list of places they have been to recently, Mspy would be a good solution.
MSpy.net is a highly-rated app for tracking your kid's phone location, with 3500+ 5-star ratings on Trustpilot and Sitejabber.
With 10 years in the industry and 1.5 million customers, this phone GPS location tracking app provides accurate results and is very safe to use.
While customer support seems very good, there are reports of the app not functioning properly. However, this might be the phone compatibility issue. Checking if your phone is compatible before using it is important.
Overall, MSpy is a great choice for parents who want to monitor their kids' mobile devices. And with a 7-day free trial, you can try out the service before committing to a subscription.
To use Mspy.com, all you need to do is:
Note - This is a small overview of how to use MSpy. Considering it as an easy spy app for location tracking, we covered a detailed step-by-step guide below after all the methods.
Eyezy is another reliable phone monitoring app to track your kid's location. Like MSpy, it can help you locate a person with software installed on the target phone.
Apart from having worldwide coverage, this easy-to-use service is designed to work on almost all Android and iPhone operating system versions, so you don’t even have to know the brand of your target’s phone.
Eyezy can also help you monitor your kid's social media activity from almost all platforms and track all text messages sent and received. They also have Family Kids plans that allow up to three children to be monitored.
To use Eyeze, all you need to do is:
Spyera is another parental control app with various features, such as recording Skype and Messenger calls, listening to sounds surrounding the phone, blocking adult content, and real-time tracking of any smartphone or tablet location.
The app works discretely on your target’s phone and has one of the best GPS-tracking systems. The monthly subscriptions range from $49 to $479, depending on the type and number of devices you need to track.
However, regarding user reviews, Spyera is nowhere close to Mspy regarding the total number of users or total 5-star ratings.
Here is how to use SPYERA:
If you want to type in a phone number and find a location for free online, then a good reverse phone look-up service is the perfect solution. They can help you with things like tracing the current location of your childhood friend, figuring out who called you, and finding their location.
Truthfinder is one such highly trusted and sought-after people search service in the U.S. It offers an extensive range of features that help users locate individuals, including their social media activity and criminal history.
To use Truthfinder, all you need to do is:
Note: This method is to FIND a person's location using a phone number. If you want to track someone's current location using a phone number, one of the following spy apps would be a good option.
Whitepages is another good reverse phone lookup service like TruthFinder. Enter a phone number on Whitepages, and you’ll be provided with the home address associated with that number.
This is a completely legal way to track down a person’s location. Whitepages works with the SS7 network, which contains personal information connected to the phone numbers in its database.
IMEI is another old-school solution for the question: how do you track a phone number?
Each phone has a unique 15-digit number called IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), used for tracking lost or stolen cell phones. So this is our next method to find location by phone number.
Here is how to find a phone’s IMEI:
Alternatively, you can dial *#06# on the phone.
Once you have the IMEI number, you can either give it to your service provider so they track a cell phone location by number or do it yourself by downloading some popular IMEI tracking apps.
Another easy solution for our question of how to track a phone number is CNAM lookup. This tool helps you find the caller’s location and provides information on the person’s name, city, and state.
You need to pay a small fee to use it, and it won’t work if your caller has a CNAM blocker installed on their phone.
Google Maps is more than a navigator. With its advanced GPS technology, it can locate a phone quite accurately.
However, the people being tracked should turn on location sharing and give you access to their GMaps.
This method is our recommendation for tracking phone number locations for free.
There you go. We listed the methods we tested to find the best way to track your kid's location with a phone number.
So what we found?
Which is the Best Method to Track Someone's Location With a Phone Number?
Without any second thought, we suggest using spy apps for location tracking with pinpoint accuracy, especially if you want to track your kid's location using their phone.
Spy apps, amongst all other methods, are easy to set up, use and implement. You don't have to be a tech genius or spy to be able to use them.
Which Spy App is the Easiest to Track Someone's Location
There are more than 10 spy apps that are tagged as good in general. As we mentioned in the above methods, we choose the best 3 for location tracking.
All three have all essential location-tracking features, from basic GPS tracking to geofencing.
Here is the side-by-side comparison of all essential location tracking features of all three apps.
Easy setup |
As easy as MSpy to setup |
Almost as easy as MSpy |
Accurate location tracking GPS tool |
Advanced GPS tracking system and Wifi pinpointing |
Tracks GPS location in real-time. |
Lists route history and collects location history |
Pin-points current location and tracks location history |
Collects location history |
Real-time location alerts |
Real-time tracking |
Lists location time |
The geo-Fencing feature is available |
Magic Alerts can create virtual Geofences. |
Can set up GeoFencing alerts on virtual maps. |
Works in stealth mode |
Hides the app icon |
100% undetectable. |
9.99/mo after a 40% discount (When bought annually) |
$9.99/mo when bought for a year. |
$89/mo, $29.9/mo when bought annually |
Note: One common thing for all these apps is the process of setting up. You will need physical access to the target phone to install these apps.
As we mentioned earlier, location tracking features-wise, all 3 apps have them all. However, we are inclined to suggest MSpy based on these 2 factors:
Besides execution and performance, there is also a difference in the pricing. From a pricing point of view, we go with Eyezy.
Since we are suggesting mSpy, we did an extensive guide on how to set up mobile phone tracking MSpy.
Step1 - Sign Up, Buy A Package
Signup is pretty straightforward. All you need is an email. Then, after registration, select the type of device you want to track and choose one of the packages to buy.
After buying one of the packages, find MSpy control panel details in your email. This control panel is where you see the target device's location data.
For that to happen, you must download and install the MSpy apk.
Step2 - Download MSpy App On The Target Phone
Before downloading and installing the MSpy app, disable the play store protection on the target device. Then, you can open getmspy.net/a on the target device to download the MSpy apk.
Step3 - Install MSpy on the Target Phone
For Android phones, get Your Registration Code to install the app from your account on my.mspyonline.com
Source: Mspy.com
Once you have that code, installing is a simple procedure of following the screen instructions.
Step 4 - Monitor the Location Of The Target Person
You can track the history of all the places a person has been to and the current location data of the target phone under the GPS Location option. You can access the location address, time, and a link to Google Maps of the location.
How Much Does MSpy Cost?
After the trial period, subscriptions are available for
Considering prices, Eyezy is our recommendation for a cheap and good spy app to find someone's location by phone number.
Bottom Line
While it is possible to track a person’s location with their phone number alone, and each of the methods we’ve shared in the article will do the trick, you should test those that seem the best options to find the right one for your needs.
The basic requirement for spy apps to track cell phones accurately is to install a piece of software on the target devices. However, most of these apps stay hidden on target devices. So if you can install these apps without the knowledge of the target phone owner, you can track their location without them knowing.
Note: Installing such spyware on someone's phone without their knowledge is illegal.
Unlike the listed spy apps here, Scannero, lets you track mobile phones without installing anything on the target device.
Also, Scannero is the best answer for people looking for answers to the question: Can I track a cell phone with just a number
Yes! For example, people can track you by installing spyware on your device without your knowledge. However, if you are an adult, it is illegal for people to track you with spyware.
Back in the day, phone location tracking was a complicated process. It involved police complaints, permissions and processing from a mobile network provider. Now you can track someone by their phone number. You can use any of these methods: spy apps, phone tracking apps, IMEI numbers, Google Maps, and reverse phone lookup services.
The best free way is to track location with Google Maps. Also, there are a few free cell phone trackers that can help you track cell phone number locations for free. But, as the famous quotes on the internet say, “Nothing is free online” free apps might not be actually free. They might be trading in your data for their service. Also, most importantly, most free phone tracker spy apps data is not reliable.
For finding a phone location of a number online, you can type in the phone number on the websites like scannero.io and find the location of the person. You can also use reverse phone lookup services like Truthfinder to find a list of locations where a person has lived in the past.
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