Many scenarios would require you to locate someone with nothing else but their cellphone number, especially if that someone has no access to data or the internet where they are.
Whether it’s a case of finding your child and making sure they’re safe, suspecting something of your spouse, or even making sure your researcher or employee ended up in the right site for fieldwork, learning how to pinpoint someone’s location can be a handy skill to have. Thanks to the number of useful features that most of our devices now have, it’s not that difficult.
So do you want to locate someone using just their cellphone number? Ready your devices and keep reading this quick how-to guide. By the end of this, save the page so that you can revisit it if you forget anything!
Is It Possible To Locate Someone With Their Cellphone Number?
At first glance, you might think this is a hoax. Even if you see from the get-go a considerable number of free location apps and services from the app store, there’s a lot of doubt about how accurate they are. Because locating someone with a cellphone number can potentially use sensitive data, it’s prudent to be careful about which apps you try out.
A lot of websites claim to be able to do this too. Whether they work or not, we wouldn’t recommend you use these. Many of these sites might end up installing location-tracking malware or leaking your private data to somewhere you have no control over.
To save you the trouble of accidentally downloading a virus or wasting time on useless applications, we’ve found some third-party websites and apps that truly deliver what you need in a very safe and secure experience. However, if you plan on using these regularly, you might want to consider getting a budget smartphone to enhance its location settings.
Different Ways Of Tracking Someone’s Current Cell Phone Location
We’ve prepared for you an overview of the different available methods. While you could probably learn about this by searching social media, google, or asking your friends, we’ve already done that work for you! Please keep reading to discover our tried and tested methods of tracking someone’s location.
Use Third-Party Locating Applications
Applications are perhaps the easiest and most convenient way to track someone’s device properly. However, there are a lot of apps out there that are unsafe or don’t work. Thankfully, we’ve found a couple of trustworthy and free apps that will make tracking very easy.
Android Phone Tracking: Find My Device
Find My Device is a quick and easy app that can remotely track someone’s target phone or target device. As a part of Google Play’s Protect functionality, it’s also a trustworthy app that protects you from potentially malicious software and hackers. You can get it from the Google Play Store, but it only works for Android OS versions 4.0 and later.
Here’s how you can download and use the application for yourself:
- Open the Google Play Store and enter “Find My Device” in the search engine.
- The first result should be the right app. Tap it and click Download and Install.
- Once it’s installed, open the app and sign in with your Google account.
- Allow the app to access your location. Ensure that you’re connected to the internet, too, whether through WiFi or data.
Now you can select the features on the app which allow you to track your phone, lock your phone, and even erase your phone’s data.
Extra tip: If you need to locate a phone that is likely indoors, there’s an option on your phone to use Indoor Google Maps. It will increase the accuracy of your phone’s locating capabilities. You also now have access to security features like locking your device to others or even wiping it clean of data.
iOS Tracking: Find My Phone
The iOS device alternative to Find My Device is called Find My Phone. If you’re an Apple user, this is your best bet. You can use the same functionalities such as tracking a cell phone’s location in real-time, locking it, and wiping its memory. Just be sure that the device has internet access.
Thankfully, Find My Phone doesn’t need any extra steps for download and installation. It’s already a part of your iPhone device, so you wouldn’t even need to go to the Apple Store.
Here’s how you can activate the Find My Phone app:
- Visit your iPhone’s Settings.
- At the top, you can see the Apple ID and your name. Tap on this, and then tap on iCloud (you may have to enter your iCloud credentials).
- Select the Find My iPhone option and toggle the switch to enable the function.
- Your iPhone can now be tracked through iCloud.com, which is a web functionality that connects your phone. You can also track it from any other device logged into your iCloud ID, whether through an iPad, iPod, or another iPhone.
Please note there may be difficulties if the phone you are trying to track had a jailbreak. That iPhone user might have their location services off enabling a “stealth mode”“.
Use the Spyera Application
Spyera is a phone tracker or spy app that lets your find a number and locates someone with that same phone number. As you might have guessed from the name, it can function as spy software. Other functions include remotely monitoring devices of other people, whether they are computers, Macs, tablets, iPads, or phones. You can use it to secure these devices from malware or harmful websites that they might accidentally encounter. Please note this a monthly subscription service with subscription plans starting at $49 per month. These are not free phone apps!
Here’s how to get the Spyera app:
- Open your web browser, and go to their official Spyera website and buy the app license.
- You now have to install the application into the phone of the person you want to track, not into your device. It can be installed on both iOS and Android devices.
- You can begin tracking that device via the Spyera web panel. It’s able to track using the device’s GPS functionality. If there is no GPS access or data, Spyera will use the device’s WiFi connection or geofence, and the information gets sent to the web panel.
- Use Your IMEI Code
Your IMEI code is built into your device. IMEI, or the International Mobile Station Equipment Identity, is a 15-digit code that allows you to track a phone, whether stolen, lost, or someone else’s.
Here’s how to find your IMEI:
- Open your settings. Under the General tab, tap on About.
- If you scroll down a bit, there should be your IMEI listed there.
- Another way is to dial *#06#, and your IMEI will be sent to you.
To locate a phone with the IMEI, send the IMEI of the phone to your cellphone provider. They will be able to locate the phone within a few days.
- Use The Caller ID Name to Locate a Phone
Everyone has a Caller ID Name (CNAM). There are various existing websites and apps that can locate someone using their CNAM. Besides a location, you’d also see information such as the caller’s name, city, and state. However, seeing this information involves a fee.
However, there are some cases wherein this method will not work. Some people may have used a CNAM blocker, or they are blocking their phone number, which means the caller’s name and phone number would be hidden from the tracker. Another reason would be if the caller ends up being robot-operated or unknown.
- Use Google Search Engine or Social Media
Since many social media channels now use phone numbers for confirmation, you can use social media to find the number of users and use it to track them.
Searching a number on Google or Whatsapp or a social media site might show you a linked social media profile, whether on Facebook or a different site. Through that profile, there is likely some location information or even a call log.
- Use WhitePages to Search a Number
WhitePages is often the last resort to tracking one’s phone number, but it still works. Using the WhitePages service can help use the person’s phone number to find their home address. It also discloses that information legally and securely.
You need to be aware that the US WhitePages is connected to SS7, which receives all the information, queries, and data that you input into the WhitePages service. If you’re entirely aware and okay with this, go ahead and try it.
Conclusion
Locating someone using their phone number isn’t as impossible or challenging as you might think. You don’t have to have access to advanced technology; you just need a few trustworthy apps to do the trick.
Now that we’ve shown you some safe and secure ways to do so, we hope you successfully locate your loved ones. It’s an excellent way to ensure someone’s safety if you don’t know where they are.
