Top 4 Effective Ways to Track Friend’s Phone for Free

With the advancement of digital technology and the availability of smartphones, tracking a phone has been made easy these days. This is because most of the apps can utilize the GPS function and the hardware inside the phone itself. One can use the phone as a tracking device for themselves or for others to track and find people. Not only the availability of GPS technology but also the accuracy of location tracking has improved nowadays.

However, people may not realize that this powerful function is already embedded in some of the software on the phone. So, for today’s post, we will show you guys the four effective ways how you can track friends’ phones with ease as well as at no cost.

Is tracking someone’s phone legal?

First and foremost, let’s start by answering the question of whether it is legal to track someone’s phone that many people may have in their minds. The short answer is yes and no.

According to US law, usually, it is against the law to track someone’s phone without them knowing. Otherwise, the consequences could lead to fines and jail time. However, in some cases, it’s OK to track a person’s phone. For example, parents who want to monitor their minor children. It’s crucial to note that it is usually illegal to track the physical location of an adult person through his or her cell phone without consent.

How to track a friend’s phone?

If you need GPS tracking apps and ways to find friends’ locations without breaking the laws, please keep reading.

1. Track location using WhatsApp

As one of the best instant messaging apps available on the internet, WhatsApp is widely used by most people as a way to send and receive messages to friends and family. This app allows users to send files and videos to anyone on the contact list. However, one can also use WhatsApp to send locations to friends. Here are five easy steps that you can follow to track the location of your friends using WhatsApp:

1. Install WhatsApp from Google Play Store or Apple Store on the phone if you do not have one yet.
2. After installation, open the app and open a conversation box with the friend you wish to share the location with.
3. Tap on the icon + here and then click on the location here.
4. Hit here to share your location. Then your location will be presented on the map.
5. Your location is now shared with your friends and you can then use the geo-data to track and find a friend.

2. Track location using Google

The simplest way to track a phone, certainly, is by using Google. There are many ways how you can use Google to get the job done. If you are an Android user or your friend’s phone is an Android-based phone, then the Android Manager can do you a great favor in tracking the person’s location. Simply visit the Android Device Manager official website or you can also use the Google Maps and Google Account to track the location of your friends.

3. Track location using iPhone’s “Find Friends”

You may not aware of this but the iPhone comes with a pre-installed app called “Find Friends”. It uses the same technology as the Find iPhone app on your phone. Using the “Find Friends” app, you can track and find your friends in real-time. And, the app is very easy to use. Here is what you need to do to track the location of your friends using your iPhone:

1. Open the “Find Friends” app on your iPhone home screen.
2. If your friends have permitted their location can be seen by you, then you can view their location on a map.
3. In return, you can share your location with friends.

4. Track location using Facebook Messenger

If you use Facebook Messenger a lot, you probably have noticed some of the notifications where and when your friends are nearby. This is because Facebook uses the GPS technology on the user’s phone to sync with the Facebook account data. More than that, Facebook also utilizes the same technology for users to share locations with friends and families. Take a closer look at the steps on how you can share location using the Facebook Messenger:

1. First and foremost, you need to enable the location service on your phone.
2. Go to your iPhone’s settings and choose the Privacy option.
3. Under the Privacy option, locate the Messenger and tap on it.
4. Choose how long you would like to enable the location service on phone (Never, While using the app, or always)
5. Open the conversation chat box with the friend you want to share location with. Hit on the “+” button below.
6. A pop-up window will show up and you tap on the “Location” here.
7. Finally, click on the “Send” to share the location. You then can see your friend’s location.

Other Ways to Track People

Well, the mentioned above are not the only ways to track people that you want to keep track of. There are phone tracker apps, web services, and some search engines that can help. And remember, some of these programs are unquestionably invasive from a privacy standpoint. Hence, before tracking anyone, please make sure you have their explicit permission to do so.

What about you?

So, there you have it. Which ways do you prefer to use for such a purpose? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.