Technology

How to Track a Phone Number: Top 5 Phone Tracking Apps

Modern-day technologies have made it possible for just about anyone to monitor their partner or kids or track down a misplaced smartphone. You’d probably be guilty of misplacing a phone — aren’t we all? In situations like these, knowing how to legally and adequately track a handset can save you a massive amount of time and energy.

The GPS is an incredible invention that facilitates the swift and seamless tracking of smartphones. A GPS tracker, which the likes of Siri and Google Assistant use to direct people on a trip, uses satellites to pinpoint the exact location of your misplaced gadget. 

However, you mustn’t go over and beyond trying to track a number and trespass legal boundaries. In this article, we discuss how to track a phone number, the benefits of tracking a cell phone, and the best tools to do so, so make sure you read until the end.

Why Would You Want to Track a Cell Phone Number?

There are many justifiable grounds why anyone would wish to set up monitoring programs on a smartphone, some of which are:

Scam Callers

Hackers usually attempt to take either cash or sensitive information about you over the phone, and this might take the form of real-person telephone conversations, spam, or text messages. These will commonly include empty promises, such as ways to acquire commodities, multiply your funds, or enjoy free item trials. 

The best way to avoid falling prey to any of these scamsters is to have a phone number tracker on your phone that notifies you right away that you’re receiving a call from a scam caller. Plugging the number in the said tracker app after the call will show the same results.

Child Monitoring

Raising kids in today’s dynamic environment comes with its own set of challenges. Children are naturally susceptible to getting lost. However, cell tracking ensures that your kids do not roam about too far away from your watch. The GPS software installed on modern smartphones provides real-time information about the position and movement of your children as long as they are with their devices. 

Other Reasons

Apart from the above, there are some other scenarios that warrant the tracking of a phone number. Organizations that have to monitor company gadgets used by their workers may find monitoring software essential to secure classified data. 

Secondly, users may want to install monitoring programs on their personal devices to enable them to digitally erase or retrieve their smartphone if it is hijacked or misplaced. 

How Do You Track Phone Number Locations?

We’ve discussed the why; now it’s time to dive into the how to track a phone number. 

  1. iPhone

If you have an iPhone or any other Apple product for that matter, you can trace it with your “Family Sharing” subscription using the “Find My” app, which comes pre-installed on every Apple product. The steps are:

  • Launch the Find My application on your smartphone or go to iCloud.com/find in a web browser.
  • Choose the smartphone you wish to find by clicking “Find my iPhone.”

CAUTION: This approach functions only when the target person’s device has the Find My app installed on it. There would be no means of finding the device using another iPhone if the application in it is turned off.

That said, you could communicate your whereabouts to anyone you want, even if you don’t have a Family Sharing subscription. All you have to do is launch the Find My application and click on the “People” icon. 

Next, select who you’d like to share your location with from your phone contacts. This is an excellent tool to find out how to track a phone number of a person when their smartphone is not on your Family Sharing subscription. 

  1. Android

Android users can track another Android phone using Google’s Find My Device platform, which is quite like the iPhone’s feature with a similar name. That said, the original Google account must be on the other smartphone you want to trace.

  • Install the Find My Device application on all the gadgets you wish to monitor.
  • Switch on “Location” in your Google account after logging in.
  • If you are signed in to your Google profile, enter a Google search on the search bar to find your phone, then choose the smartphone you wish to trace.
  • If you don’t have a Google profile, click on android.com/find on any device and select the smartphone you are looking for.

CAUTION: Before you download any third-party tracking app from the Google Playstore, make sure you have gone through its content ratings. Learn more.

Best Third-Party Apps to Track Someone’s Phone

Here are the top smartphone monitoring applications that keep your privacy and confidentiality intact when tracking a third-party’s phone number:

Find Your Phone’s Location by Number or SIM Card with uMobix

uMobix is a top-rated smartphone monitoring application. It’s perhaps the best application to use if you want to keep a close watch on your children’s cell phone activity.

This parenting surveillance tool offers powerful detection functions that you can use for moral regulating activities, allowing you to easily watch your children. This will help you rest assured of their safety and whereabouts.  

uMobix, an excellent tracking system, is compatible with both Android and iOS smartphones. Being a real-time tracking platform, it refreshes the monitoring content every 5 minutes, ensuring you don’t miss out on a single thing. 

Moreover, the software is simple to operate and lets you monitor a minimum of 41 different applications and social media networks. So, now you know how to track a phone number easily, and there’s no way you won’t see whatever you’re looking for since the choices are unlimited! 

Go ahead and download it on the device you want to find with a single tap. 

Features of uMobix:

  • 100% covert and undetectable
  • Easy to operate
  • Can retrieve discarded messages
  • Affordable price

Use ZoSearch to Find a Cell Phone’s General Location

ZoSearch’s cell phone tracking application is as simple as they come. All you have to do is provide the contact information of the phone you want to track; the program will handle the rest. 

It checks the contact details against its list of information. The owner’s relevant information (including things like felony histories and financial information) is then presented in a comprehensive form, and the address is made visible to you. 

It’s an excellent way of monitoring the phone locations of numbers you don’t recognize. 

Features of ZoSearch:

  • Simple and convenient to track down phone numbers from the US. 
  • A dependable, quick, and free number search platform
  • Your confidentiality is not jeopardized, and your private information is kept safe
  • The user of the monitored device will not be aware that they are under surveillance, thanks to ZoSearch’s covertness

Search via WhitePages

You can verify a person’s identity and check for a contact number, home address, neighborhood, ZIP codes, as well as postcodes for free by using the web to search for WhitePages. 

The WhitePages is basically a vast database of all the cellphone users in a particular directory. Searching through the WhitePages could therefore be a great technique how to track a phone number of a misplaced smartphone. 

Say you want to locate a particular mobile number. In that case, you check a countrywide digital telephone database by feeding in the first and last names on a normal web search platform. Furthermore, many of them support reverse lookups, allowing you to pinpoint a geographical location when you input a mobile number. 

All these features make for seamless and free of charge tracking of your child’s or partner’s mobile number and whereabouts.

Benefits of Number Tracking via WhitePages:

  • Costs almost nothing
  • Offers a significant amount of information about the targeted telephone number
  • Easy signup 

Caller ID Name (CNAM) Lookup

CNAM records are housed in several network systems by cellular operators across the nation. This program searches and displays the identity connected to the incoming number. 

The CNAM is yet another excellent method of tracking down a mobile number, especially one that was used by a scammer to threaten you. With the personal details gathered from the process, the fraudster would be apprehended and brought to justice. 

Features of CNAM: 

  • It displays the caller’s details, which helps you know if it’s a stranger calling
  • Provides detailed information about every caller
  • Useful for other purposes as well, such as customer relationship management in business

That said, some fraudsters have taken their game to the next level and have started deploying CNAM jammers. If a contact number is protected by a CNAM jammer, it cannot be detected, and you won’t be able to find out where the call is coming from. 

GPS Location Tracking & Google Maps

Google Maps is an easy and efficient way to communicate your whereabouts to your friends and parents. You’ll find a location communication option in the Google Maps menu. Click on your symbol in the search window. 

To communicate your cell phone location and remaining battery capacity with anyone in your address book or any other close gadget, press the blue “Share position” icon. Note that you can do so for a certain time, such as one hour or forever, until you manually turn off the function. 

Here are some reasons why Google Maps is a great app if you are thinking about how to track a phone number:

  • Easy to use
  • Does not require any subscription
  • Compatible on both Android and iOS devices 
  • Can pinpoint possible locations related to the device being tracked

FAQ

Can I track my spouse’s phone?

Tracking your partner’s device is the easy bit; the tough part is to download and launch a tracking program on their device. But, once you manage to successfully load a monitoring application on your spouse’s phone, you will be able to follow their location live from your mobile device or PC. You can also use the GEOfinder.mobi app and find out their location by sending a message with a link to their device. It doesn’t require installation on the target phone, so it’s the best option for remote location tracking.

Do I need the user’s permission to track their phone?

Not necessarily. GPS comes pre-installed in nearly all mobile phones, so as long as the other person’s smartphone isn’t turned off, locating them should be a cakewalk. There are two reliable methods on how to track a phone number of a person without their knowledge. The first approach requires disclosing the targeted user’s whereabouts by sending a link to it and clicking on it by the phone owner. The second option is to use spyware software to observe the targeted device’s mobile phone activities, including monitoring its location, and that too, without the consent of the owner. 

Christopher Stern

Christopher Stern is a Washington-based reporter. Chris spent many years covering tech policy as a business reporter for renowned publications. He has extensive experience covering Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Federal Trade Commissions. He is a graduate of Middlebury College. Email:[email protected]

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