How To Track Mobile Number Location: A Step-by-Step Guide

This guide will walk you through 3 powerful ways to track mobile number locations quickly and effectively. It will also help you understand the limitations of these tracking methods.

It can be too overwhelming to even imagine having your phone lost or stolen. If this does happen, the only option to find your phone is to track its location. About a decade ago, it was really challenging to track the location of the phone with traditional methods as they were highly inaccurate, time-consuming, and expensive. Moreover, they raised privacy concerns. However, the advancement of technology gave birth to location-tracking apps.

These apps can help you track mobile number locations. They have improved accuracy, fastened tracking speed, and an enhanced data sharing and tracking system. You can easily use a computer or a mobile and a good internet connection to track your phone.

However, the biggest question is how to track mobile number locations. We have listed the various ways you can track the location of the mobile phone. So, read till the end to identify the possible methods and ways to track your mobile number.

Methods for Tracking Location Using Phone Numbers

You can track mobile number locations in various ways. Some of the most common ways to do that are as follows:

1. Using Built-In Phone Application

Nowadays, Android and iOS have built-in apps that can help you track your phone's location. Some of the common and widely used built-in apps to track phone location are:

A. Find My for iOS

The Find My App on Apple devices helps you locate your Apple products, such as Apple Watch, Mac, iPhone, and iPad, if they are lost. It combines the functionalities of Find My iPhone and Find My Friends, which were the predecessors of this application, to help you track cell phone locations.

Features

• It plays a sound to help locate your device. This can be useful if you cannot find your device in your vicinity.
• Allows you to remotely lock your device or erase the data to prevent misuse of information if your phone is stolen.
• You may share your location with relatives and friends. You can also see their locations if they choose to share it with you.

Pros

• Helps you locate your lost Apple devices, making it easier to retrieve them.
• If you are unable to retrieve your device, the remote locking feature can protect your sensitive information.

Cons

• The location tracking feature can cause privacy concerns. If someone gets access to your Apple ID, they could track where you are.
• Find My requires an internet connection to work properly. If your lost device is offline, its location will not be updated until it connects to the internet again.

How to Find Your Device?

To use the Find My app on any Apple product, you first need to enable it. Here is a breakdown of how to enable Find My on various Apple devices.

For iPhone, iPad

Here is the step-by-step process to enable Find My on iPhone and iPad:

Step 1: Click on the Settings app.

Step 2: Select your Apple ID. It is located in the uppermost section of the Settings page. Ensure that you are signed in with your Apple ID.

Step 3: Select 'Find My'. 

Step 4: Turn on 'Send Last Location.' This allows your device to send its location when the battery is low.

Step 5: Once you set up your main device, you can see other Apple products paired with it. For example, you should be able to track your AirPods, Apple watch, etc.

For Mac

Here is the step-by-step to enable Find My on Mac:

Step 1: Click on the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen to open the Apple Menu.

Step 2: Next, scroll down and choose System Preferences, then locate the iCloud option. Turn on Find My Mac, and when prompted, click 'Allow' to let Find My Mac use your Mac's location. Finally, click 'Done'.

Step 3: If you see a warning badge on the Find My icon in iCloud settings, check that Location Services and Find My are turned on in Privacy & Security settings.

Now that you have enabled Find My on your device, tracking your device becomes very easy:

Steps to Track Device Via My Find App

Here are the steps to track the app via the My Find app:

Step 1: Download the Find My app on your phone

Step 2: Go to the devices section in the app. You will see the last known locations of all your devices connected to the Apple account. 

Find My Device for Android

Find My Device is a free mobile phone tracker for Android that helps you locate your lost device. It provides an effective way to keep track of your devices and prevents data misuse in case your phone is stolen or lost. 

Features

• It helps you to locate offline devices by ringing or viewing the location of the device on the map on the app.
• If you are in close proximity to your misplaced device but want more assistance in locating it, the "Find nearby" button can help you. It can assist you in determining its precise whereabouts.
• The Find My Device app displays the approximate distance between a lost device and your home Nest devices. This provides a convenient point of reference.

Pros

• It is completely free for all Android devices.
• It enhances data security in case your phone is stolen or lost. This enhances your privacy and keeps your data secure.

Cons

• Remote locking, data erasure, and location-sharing functionalities are only effective when the device is connected to the Internet, limiting its utility in offline scenarios.
• Sharing locations with friends and family or seeing their locations may raise privacy concerns if not managed carefully. It can also lead to potential misuse or invasion of privacy.

How to Find Your Device?

Before you learn the steps to enable the Find My Device on Android, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.They are:

• Your phone must be powered on.
• It must be signed into a Google account on your phone.
• It must be connected to a stable Wi-Fi network or any other Internet connection like mobile data.
• Location and Find My Device services are turned on.

Steps to Turn on Find My Device on Android

Once you have completed this, you need to follow the following steps:

Step 1: Open the Find My Device app on another device or visit this site. 

Step 2: Log in to your Google account and verify all the devices linked with it.

Step 3: Choose the correct device from the list you want to find. 

Step 4: Find My Device will display the device's approximate current location using Google Maps or show its last known location.

Step 5: To locate a nearby lost device, tap "Play Sound." The device will ring loudly for 5 minutes.

Step 6: Press the Power button to stop the ringing when you locate your phone.

2. Using Mobile Network Service Provider 

Another way to track your mobile number location is through your mobile carrier provider. They use cell tower signals to identify the estimated location of your phone. This method may not be precise, but it can give you a general area to search. 

How to Contact Your Mobile Carrier for Device Tracking

Contacting your mobile carrier to track a mobile number location is an unusual way. Thus, most people do not know how to do it. You can contact them by following the steps below:

Step 1: Gather Information

Before contacting your carrier, gather your phone number, account details, and device information. The customer service representative can ask for this information, so it is important to keep it handy.

Step 2: Reach out to Customer Support

Next, contact your mobile carrier's customer support. Most carriers provide 24/7 customer support, which makes it easier to connect with them. You can call them or have an online chat with them.

Step 3: Explain the Situation

You must inform the representative that you have lost your phone. They will ask you a few questions to verify your identity.

Step 4: Request Location Assistance

After explaining the situation, ask the representative to help you locate your phone using their network data. At this point, they might ask you for details about your device and phone number.

Step 5: Provide Device Details

You must now share your phone number, account information, and device details with the representative. This allows them to track your mobile number location easily.

Step 6: Follow Instructions

Follow the procedures provided, which may involve confirming your identification and providing extra information once again. Most carrier companies perform this second check to ensure security and verify your identity.

Step 7: Receive Location Information

The representative will provide an approximate location of your phone based on cell tower signals. They track your phone number by triangulating your device's location based on cell towers near you.

Limitations of Carrier-Based Tracking

While carrier-based tracking can help, this method has some limitations that you must keep in mind. Some of them are:

• It may not be as precise as built-in services like Find My Device or iCloud.
• The location might not be real-time and could show the last known location of your device.
• The accuracy of this method in tracking a cell phone location by number depends on the strength and availability of the cellular network in the area. 
• If the phone is turned off or the battery is dead, tracking may not be possible.

Your mobile carrier can be a useful resource in finding your lost phone, but it is important to understand the limitations of this method.  

3. Third-Party Location Tracking Apps and Software

Location Tracking apps and software use data and information to track users' geographical and physical locations. Smartphones commonly use such tracking.  

Third-party location tracking apps and software use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to identify the precise location of the device. A GPS network is made of interconnected satellites. Each satellite sends signals to the Earth and compares the sending and receiving times. 

The difference in time helps to identify the distance between the application on the device and the satellite. Based on this information, the app for tracking mobile number location calculates the device's location.    

Location Tracking apps can also use cellular technology to identify the location. Whenever the device is between 2 towers, the technology uses triangulation to identify the location. 

Popular Third-Party Location Apps and Software

Today, there are a vast number of cell phone tracker apps that can help you track location with a phone number. Some of the most popular ones are as follows: 

A. mSPy

mSpy is the best app to locate a phone by number. It is a mobile tracker that allows you to track a device's location in real-time (while respecting privacy laws) and helps you track SMS, call logs, and even social media activity. The mSpy app also lets you see the phone's route history over a chosen period. You will also get details like the address, accuracy, and time of each location.

Features

• Keylogger: Tracks every word on the target device.
• Location Tracking: Assist in real-time tracking of the phone numbers.
• Geofencing: Help designate safe and risky zones and provide notifications when your loved ones enter or exit them.
• Data Encryption:  Keeps the information related to the location encrypted and safe. 

Pros

• Parental control allows you to monitor children's online activities.
• Provides complete access to the call log and location of the target device.
• Functions discreetly so children remain unaware they are being monitored.

Cons

• No free trial to test the app.
• Requires a separate subscription to track the phone location of every phone.

Pricing