It is said and believed that a cell phone cannot be tracked with GPS turned off. It’s true but not a fact because there are other ways using which you can track a phone without GPS.
If you are looking to track someone’s phone when their location is turned off or to locate a lost phone which is switched off then you are in luck. It is because, in this article, I am going to share a few ways that can actually track a cell phone without GPS. So without any further ado let’s begin.
Table Of Contents
- Can You Track A Phone Without Location Turned On?
- How To Track A Cell Phone With GPS Turned Off?
- Which Is The Best Way To Track A Phone Without GPS?
- FAQs
Can You Track A Phone Without Location Turned On?
Yes, you can track a phone without its location being turned on. However, you should keep in mind that it’s hard to track the exact location of the phone without GPS. But don’t worry, the ways I am going to tell you here will be able to provide the nearest possible location of the phone even with GPS turned Off.
How To Track A Cell Phone With GPS Turned Off?
1. Use WiFi Location Tracker App
A WiFi location tracker app is a special program meant for the purpose of tracking a phone’s location with the help of the WiFi it is connected to. It works even if the phone’s location is turned off. Such apps share with you the address and longitude/latitude values of the WiFi router to which the target phone is connected. The best app for this purpose is KidsGuard Pro and mSpy.
KidsGuard Pro tracks all WiFi networks the target phone connects to and shares its address with you as you can see in the screenshot below.
You can click on the address and see the location on Google Maps.
With mSpy, you cannot get the address but it shares with you the longitude and latitude values of WiFi as shown below.
For a layman, it is hard to locate a place with longitude and latitude values, and therefore I prefer KidsGuard Pro over mSpy for tracking a phone with GPS turned off.
Apart from tracking the location without GPS, you can also track their phone calls, messages, and social media activities using the KidsGuard Pro app. So you are getting a good deal, don’t miss it.
2. Reverse Phone Lookup
A reverse phone lookup is an online directory where you can get all the information about a person by just entering their 10 digit cell phone number. This includes their name, email, address, and much more.
You won’t be able to track someone’s current location with reverse phone lookup. But what you can get is their permanent address which is already available in the public domain. And for this their phone’s location need not be turned on.
There are lots of reverse phone lookup engines available online, but the one I personally like is Spokeo. I have also reviewed Spokeo on this site, if you want then you can also go through it once to learn more about it.
3. Locate A Lost Cell Phone With The IMEI number
If you have lost your cell phone then apps like Find My device can help you locate it. But these apps only work when the GPS is working. If the phone location is turned off then these apps are useless. But don’t worry, you can still locate a lost cell phone without GPS with the help of the IMEI number.
When tracking a phone with an IMEI number you don’t need GPS because it tracks the cell phone location through a SIM card by connecting to the nearest cell tower. The only condition that needs to be fulfilled is that the phone should be switched on.
4. Track A Switched Off Phone With Google Timeline
A switched-off phone cannot be tracked but you can see where the device has been prior to being switched off. Suppose the phone was active till yesterday and suddenly its GPS was turned off today. So with the help of Google Timeline, you can still see all the places where the phone has been before the GPS was turned off.
Login to Google maps with the Gmail account which is synced with the phone that you want to track. Go to Google Maps > Profile Menu > Your timeline.
Now you will be able to see all the locations where the phone has been in the past. You can also choose to see the locations of a particular day, an entire week, or the whole month.
It’s a good way to keep track of your kid’s or partner’s locations to see what places they visit on a daily basis even if they keep their phone switched off to avoid being tracked by you.
Which Is The Best Way To Track A Phone Without GPS?
There are many reasons why you would want to track a phone. Also, there are many ways using which you can track a phone if its GPS is still on. However, the problem arises when the location is turned off on the phone. Tracking the exact location of the phone without GPS is very hard. But if you follow the methods shown above you still have some chance that you can track a phone when GPS is turned off.
Out of all the solutions that I have shared, using a WiFi location tracker app is the best solution. By using such an app even if your kids or partner disables their GPS you will still be able to locate them using The WiFi they are connected to. However, if you want to track a lost phone then taking the help of the officials to locate the phone using the IMEI number is the best solution.
Recommended Phone Tracking Guides for you:
- How To Track A Phone Without A SIM Card
- How To Put A GPS Tracker On A Phone?
- How To Track Someone On Google Maps
- How To Track Someone’s Location Through Facebook Messenger
FAQs
Can I Track A Cell Phone With Just A Number?
Yes, you can track a cell phone with just a number using a reverse phone lookup engine like Spokeo.
How Can I Track Someone's Phone Location?
You can track someone's phone location using a phone tracking or spy app.
Can You Track A Phone Without Installing An App?
Yes, you can use reverse phone lookup and IMEI number to track a phone without installing an app. However, these methods aren't very effective.
