Tracking someone’s location may not seem ethical at first, but there are many instances in which it can be necessary, such as finding a lost parent, ensuring a child’s safety, or catching a cheating spouse.
⚠️Don’t worry, we have selected only the best and tested cell phone tracking apps:
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about finding someone’s location using their phone number.
Why Would You Want to Track a Location by Phone Number?
There are many reasons why someone would want to track someone by phone number, namely:
- A parent may need to track their kid’s phone and find their approximate location to ensure their safety (during a trip, for example).
- A suspecting spouse may need proof that their partner is cheating on them (or may want to make sure that no infidelity is being committed)
- You may need to find a stolen or lost phone in which mobile data has been turned off.
- An employer may need to ensure that an employee is indeed doing the work they need to do in the field.
- You may need to quickly find the location of an older parent who has Alzheimer’s or a similar disease.
Before you proceed, remember that tracking someone’s phone without their consent is illegal. If you want to avoid legal consequences, make sure to only use the following methods for legal purposes.
The Best Methods To Track Someone Location By Phone Number
To secretly track a cell phone location, you can use Locationtracker.mobi or Geofinder.mobi:
Locationtracker.Mobi
The easiest (and most accurate) way to track someone with their phone number is by using text messages.

Yes, you read that right. A simple text message can reveal anyone’s location.
So, how does that work?
Well, you can use the app locationtracker.mobi to send a text message that contains a picture (as a hyperlink) to the person you’re trying to locate. Once they receive the text and click on the image, the app uses triangulation to approximately pin down their location based on the cell tower their device used to access the message. Quite magical, isn’t it?

Here are the advantages of using locationtracker.mobi to track phone location:
- The app does all the heavy lifting for you. Once you send the message, you can sit back and relax as the app locates the addressee after they click on the link.
- It doesn’t matter where the person you’re trying to locate receives the picture (link). It can be a text message, an Instagram DM, a chat message on Telegram, anything. All that matters is that you convince them to click on the link you’ve sent, and that shouldn’t be that hard, considering that mobile users click on links faster than you can blink these days.
- The service doesn’t affect the performance of the device you’re looking to track since no app needs to be installed.
- You don’t have to install anything on any device, so physical access isn’t needed.
Simply put, if you need to quickly find the location of a mischievous child or a lost parent, locationtracker.mobi is the way to go.
GEOfinder.Mobi

Geofinder.mobi is yet another tool that can be used to search phone number location without the owner knowing it.

All you have to do to find a location using phone number is visit their website, type the phone number you want to track, and the app will let you know whether it can track the device’s location.
GEOfinder Features:
- GPS Tracker
- IP Logger
- Wi-fi Tracker
- VPN Checker
- SMS Location

If it can, you’ll be prompted to create an account and pay for a two-day trial (or 1 month).
Alternative Methods of Location Tracking by Phone Number
If none of the above works, you can try the following methods:
Install Spybubble Pro
Spybubble Pro is a monitoring app that works on both Android and iOS. It’s mainly marketed as an anti-cheating app that can help any suspecting partner find their partner’s whereabouts. Still, it can also be used for other purposes, such as keeping an eye on a child’s location to ensure their safety or finding a lost parent with Alzheimer’s disease.

As for how it works, Spybubble is basically a silent SMS location tracking tool. It can record location data as well as any other digital footprint on the device, such as browser history, contact list, text messages, call logs, etc. All of that data gets sent to your account every five minutes or so, allowing for (almost) real-time tracking. Once there, you can access all the information you need from Spybubble’s web portal.
The app isn’t free, which makes sense, considering the functionality it offers. Once you create an account, you’ll be prompted to subscribe to a paid plan. After doing so, a Setup Wizard will guide you through the process of installing the app on the target phone and turning it on. If you’re trying to keep track of an iOS device, you’ll need the iCloud credentials for the account used on the iPhone or iPad.
Hoverwatch Location Tracker

Just like Spybubble, Hoverwatch has to be installed on the target device for you to be able to track its location. Once you set it up, you’ll receive everything you need from the phone, including the GPS location as well as data from different social apps, like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
Use An IMEI Tracker
Every mobile device has a unique, 15-digit IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) number. The IMEI can be used to find a stolen or lost device via two methods:
- Either contact your network provider and ask them to do it for you. You may have to wait a few days after submitting your request.
- Or use an IMEI tracking app, many of which are available for free on the AppStore or Play Store. Most of these apps aren’t reliable, though, so we don’t recommend resorting to this method.
To find a phone’s IMEI, simply tap *#06# (works for both Android and iOS). Since this process takes time, it shouldn’t be used in an urgent situation.
Use Native Phone Locator For Android/iOS
iOS
iOS devices come with a neat app called “Find My,” which combines the features of both Find My iPhone and Find iFriends, making it super easy to keep track of any Apple device or any item with an AirTag attached to it. Here are some great features:
- The app is available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices.
- It can be used to track items to which you’ve attached AirTag.
- The app can be used to track different devices even if they’re offline.
- Your privacy (and that of the person you’re looking to track) is protected every step of the way.
Here’s the thing, though; you cannot track someone else’s device without their consent using the “Find My” app. That’s because they have to actively share the location with you for you to see their device on iCloud’s map. In other words, this method is useless if you’re in an emergency and need to find someone’s location quickly.
Android
Google offers a similar service for Android devices called “Find My Device,” and it’s even more limited than “Find My” because it can only be used to track devices that use your Google account.
Caller ID Name (CNAM) Lookup
Another straightforward way to track a person by phone number is using a Caller ID (CNAM) lookup tool. Not only will such a tool help you identify a caller’s location, but it will also provide other useful information, such as the caller’s name as well as the city and state they’re in.
There are a few downsides to using this method, though, which are:
- You have to pay a small fee to access the information you need.
- If the person you’re trying to track uses a CNAM blocker, no information will be available on them.
- Robot-operated calls will have no information associated with them.
As a Last Resort, Search Via Whitepages
If you’ve tried everything above and nothing worked, you can use Whitepages as a last resort.
Now, Whitepages doesn’t really show you the real-time location of the person you’re trying to locate. Instead, it can fetch their current address using their phone number. In other words, it’s more of a database that allows you to find the home address of a person using their phone number through the SS7 (Signaling System 7) network.
Which Location Tracking Method Should I Use?
Well, there isn’t really a clear winner here. The ideal method depends on what you’re trying to achieve. Here’s a simple breakdown to help you decide what to use to find person location by phone number:
- If you have access to the person’s phone, you ought to use an app installed there for the most reliable tracking. Our recommendation here would be Spybubble Pro (remember that you’ll need the iCloud credentials if it’s an iOS device). The tracking would be even more accurate if you share their location with your account using “Find My” (for iOS devices) or “Find My Device’ (for Android devices)
- If you can’t access the device, attempt tracking people by phone number through Locationtracker.Mobi or Geofinder.Mobi by sending a text message to their phone.
- If nothing works, and you’d still like to get an approximate idea about the person’s location, you can use Whitepages, CNAM lookup, or Google Maps to find the person’s current address. As mentioned, you cannot locate someone by phone number using these, but you can find their residential address.
FAQ
Tracking someone’s phone using their phone number without their consent is illegal and can lead to severe legal consequences. If you’re a parent looking to keep an eye on a child, make sure to let them know about it and explain why and how you’re doing it.
Obviously, it’s not ethical to track someone’s location using their phone number without getting their consent first because it’s an invasion of privacy – something that can break the trust between you and the individual you’re trying to track.
Yes, you can, using any of the methods mentioned above. With that being said, the process isn’t legal because it occurs without the other party’s consent, and it can result in severe legal consequences (not to mention damaging the trust in your relationship if they discover it and it turns out they haven’t been cheating on you).
When an app is utilized to search for the location of a phone number, it typically operates in one of the following ways:
– A message containing a link gets sent to the target device. Once they click on the link, the app determines their location through triangulation.
– An app needs to be installed on the target device, in which case the location is tracked using the built-in location tracking feature.
Using Google Maps to track someone’s location is easy. That said, Google Maps doesn’t display the current location of a phone number but rather the residential address associated with it. Furthermore, the phone number must be registered on Google to initiate the process. So, for the most part, Google Maps is a great way to find an address, not a location, and all you have to do to locate a phone number on Google maps is type it there.
Yes, you can. Many apps and tools enable you to track someone by their phone number without cost. However, we advise against using such apps. Remember, you should not entrust your data (or that of someone you know) to unfamiliar tools. Furthermore, most free spy apps are used for spying on you, infecting your devices with malware, and misusing your data for unethical (and illegal) purposes.
There are many ways to track a person’s location using their phone number. The most common way is to use a reverse phone lookup service. These services are not always 100% accurate, but they do a very good job of finding the right person. That’s why I would also recommend tracking apps to everyone. These apps store all the data, and it’s very handy if you need to prove your point.
The most popular reverse phone lookup app is called Hoverwatch.
I do think that tracking someone’s location with their phone number is a great way to understand someone’s personality (or at least, the kind of personality they would have) and if you know what type of person they are, you can tailor your marketing plans and user experience accordingly.
ASAP!!! It’s always important to respect people’s privacy and obtain their explicit consent before attempting to track their location, even if it’s for legitimate reasons such as ensuring their safety or well-being.