Did you know that over 8 million children are reported missing every year? It gets even more frightening. About 80% of all abductions in the US are of teenagers between 12 and 18 years old.
The statistic is alarming — especially considering teenagers have the freedom to explore the neighborhood. And that’s why finding a tracking app couldn’t be more important.
New to apps to find location? They’re relatively easy to understand. Just install an app on their phone and you’ll be able to find their location in a snap. And you’ve got a lot of choice when it comes to these advanced apps. So what is the best phone tracking app on the market? We’ve got 7 of them.
Before we begin…
It’s important to know that you can’t use apps for location tracking on adults without their permission and explicit consent. However, if you’re monitoring your own child, and they’re under 18 and living at home under your care, you have the right to use location apps in most jurisdictions.
Table Of Contents
1. mSpy
Searching for the best location track on the planet? mSpy might just be your best bet. Once installed on their phone, mSpy lets you see their current location on a map, plus view their previous locations.
It can also alert you when they arrive at or leave any location that you choose, so you’ll know if they’re somewhere suspicious. And it does it all completely discreetly. Once you purchase mSpy, it’s easy to get up and running. Just follow the install instructions and head to your Control Panel to view their location details.
What you’ll love: You get so much more than a location tracking map
Drawbacks: It costs more than other apps for location tracking (but does way more)
2. Localize.mobi
Looking for the best app to track location without having to actually install an app? Check out Localize.mobi. The service lets you punch in any phone number and find its location in a matter of minutes. There’s literally nothing to install on their phone, and it works on all devices (even old flip phones).
Keep in mind, however, that the person you’re trying to locate needs to tap a link in the text message they receive. If they don’t Localize can’t reveal their location.
What you’ll love: Nothing to install
Drawbacks: If the person you’re trying to locate doesn’t tap the link you’re out of luck
3. Glympse
As far as location apps go, Glympse delivers. Once installed on an iPhone or Android, Glympse lets users share their location with others. If you’re trying to monitor your kids, you won’t find any easier-to-use tracking app than Glympse. Just launch the app and see their location. It really is as simple as that.
But because Glympse keeps things simple, there’s not much else Glympse can do. So if you want to be discreetly notified when they come and go, or you want to read their social chats or text messages, look for other top tracking apps.
What you’ll love: Easy to use and easy to install
Drawbacks: The person you’re monitoring can decide whether to share their location or keep it hidden
4. Life360
When it comes to family safety, Life360 ranks among the best app to track location. Available on the App Store and Google Play, the app lets you track their location easily and effortlessly.
After installing the app on your device and the devices you want to locate, just create an account and invite the people you want to track into what Life360 calls “your circle”. Then track them at your leisure. You’ve also got additional features at your disposal, like crash detection and SOS help.
What you’ll love: Includes an SOS button in case they need your immediate attention in an emergency
Drawbacks: Too many membership plans make things confusing, plus cost can be prohibitive
5. Find My
If you’re looking for the best GPS tracking app that’s easy to use, doesn’t cost anything, and works exclusively on iPhones, consider the Find My app. It’s baked into iOS and designed to help iPhone users find their friends, family, and devices.
Just fire up Find My on your iPhone, tap ‘People’ at the bottom, and then tap the person you want to locate. You’ll see their location on a map, right away.
For Find My to work, the person you want to locate needs to share their location with (but just once). Because it’s not completely discreet, we can’t rate Find My as the best app to track location.
What you’ll love: Built into iOS
Drawbacks: Requires the person you want to track to authorize location sharing in advance
6. Where’s My Droid
Designed to help Android users find their lost smartphone, Where’s My Droid can be used as a tracking app. It lets you locate a phone by GPS, and it offers geofencing alerts to help you find out when the phone enters or exits a certain area.
What you’ll love: Priced well
Drawbacks: Features are limited in free version, and the version we tested seems to feature lots of bugs
7. TrackView
We wouldn’t say TrackView is the best location tracking app on the planet. But it does make our list for its simplicity. In addition to letting you find other phones, TrackView also includes some other innovative features, like 2-way audio so you can chat with the person you’re trying to locate.
Of course, if you’re trying to track them without being noticed, the extra features kind of defeat the purpose.
What you’ll love: Does more than just track location
Drawbacks: Not the greatest user interface
Which Location Tracking App Leads the Pack?
The winner here is mSpy. Not only is it the best GPS tracking app, but it goes way beyond just location tracking.
With mSpy, you can read their text and emails, see the photos and videos saved on their phone, find out what sites they’ve visited, view screenshots of their phone activity, see every keystroke typed, and so much more. Check it out and see why millions of users say it’s the best app to track location.
Agnes W Linn
