GPS is great for recovering your device when lost or stolen and navigating while driving with Google Maps. And information technology's specially cracking because GPS works fifty-fifty when asunder from the internet. Just download your maps ahead of time!

But how about using an Android phone as a GPS tracker? It may not be the most reliable option, and information technology does comes with some not-so-insignificant drawbacks, but it tin can go the job done if you lot're drastic. Hither'due south how to turn your Android telephone into a GPS tracker.

Notation: These instructions are based on a Samsung Galaxy S8 running Android 8.0 Oreo, just the steps should be relatively similar for most Android devices.

Tracking With Native Android Features

Most Android devices released in 2022 or later have a born feature called Find My Device (formerly chosen Find My Android). This service constantly pings your device's location back to Google's servers so that Google knows where your device is. You tin so employ Google'south web interface to see where your device is at any given time. You'll need a Google account to use this characteristic.

How to Enable Detect My Device on Android

  1. Navigate to your device'sSettings.
  2. Tap on Lock screen and security.
  3. Tap on Other security settings. (This pace may be unnecessary depending on your particular device and Android version.)
  4. Tap on Device admin apps. (This pace may exist called Device Administrators depending on your particular device and Android version.)
  5. Tap Find My Device.
  6. Tap Activate.

Note: In order to activate this service, you lot'll need to allow four permissions: one) the ability to erase all data, 2) the ability to change your screen unlock countersign, 3) the power to lock the screen, and 4) the power to turn off functions on the lock screen.

The overnice thing almost Detect My Device is that information technology'southward not but a tracker---it lets you control the device from afar in the to a higher place-mentioned ways. Acquire more in our overview of Notice My Device.

How to Employ Detect My Device on Android

Once enabled, all you have to do is launch a spider web browser, navigate to the Find My Device dashboard, and sign into your Google account (the same i associated with your device).

Once you're logged in, select the device you want to locate, click the Locate push button for said device, and it'll bear witness its final known location and how long agone it was last spotted. It's fairly authentic in my feel, but I alive in an urban environment; it can be off past upward to 20 meters in areas with poor GPS visibility.

Tracking With Third-Political party Android Apps

If you don't similar Find My Device for any reason, you tin always resort to one of the many third-party alternatives available on the Google Play Store. These apps are piece of cake to install and you lot don't really take to do annihilation beyond creating an account to use them.

In that location are ii that we recommend:

one. Lookout: Picket is an all-in-one security solution where device tracking is just one of its many features. As such, information technology might be as well swollen if device tracking is the but feature you're interested in. Merely if your device currently lacks a good antivirus app, yous might as well use this one and kill two birds with one stone.

2. Prey: In practical usage, Casualty is very similar to Find My Device. Its one big reward is availability across multiple other platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and iPhone, and so you can rail ALL of your devices from anywhere.

Most of these are marketed as anti-theft and anti-loss security apps for Android---and they're certainly useful for those purposes---but you can utilize them for directly-upwardly tracking if you lot and so wish.

Making Your Android Device Mountable for Tracking

Once your device is set as trackable, whether using Find My Device or a third-party app, in that location's only thing left to do: attach the device to the person or object that you want to track. Apparently, this is much easier said than done.

Want to know how to track a motorcar with a prison cell phone?

The easiest and almost constructive option is to use a magnetic car mount. Most two-piece kits come up with a magnetic insert (that you place inside your device case) and a magnetic base (that yous attach to whatever y'all want to mount). With a good model, the magnetic force should be strong enough for your phone to "snap" onto the base and stay in that location deeply.

The WizGear Universal Stick-On Magnetic Motorcar Mountain is easy, convenient, and affordable. Information technology's a stick-on model that uses an adhesive, and contains 10 magnets for maximum magnetic strength.

If you lot don't trust adhesives, yous might consider the WizGear Universal Suction Cup Magnetic Car Mountain. It'south a lot more than conspicuous than the stick-on variant, but the suction loving cup is stiff and may be worth the trade-off.

Don't have a phone case? Y'all can use adhesive metal plates instead, such as these Pop-Tech Universal Adhesive Metal Mounts. They stick right onto the back of your device and let you lot use magnetic mounts per usual.

Nothing Beats a Dedicated GPS Tracker

While your Android device can piece of work as a tracker in a pinch, don't expect it to laissez passer for a serious tracking device. In that location are iii main drawbacks that you lot should be enlightened of, and if any of these drawbacks prove problematic for yous, then yous should consider using a dedicated tracker instead:

  1. Battery Life: Your smartphone has a lot of software running in the background at all times, such equally system-level services and 3rd-political party apps, and all of that processing drains battery life. A defended GPS tracker merely needs to procedure GPS tracking, resulting in much more bombardment life per accuse.
  2. Signal Quality: GPS trackers aren't perfect, merely their signals are far superior to smartphone signals. As such, not but are dedicated GPS trackers more than accurate, but they tin keep tracking fifty-fifty in areas where smartphones would usually cut out.
  3. Risks and Costs: Are you willing to lose your Android device? Suppose you mounted it to the undercarriage of a car and information technology brutal off in the middle of a highway? Dedicated GPS trackers are easier to mount, more robust, and even if they're lost or damaged, they're cheaper to replace.

In other words, don't catechumen your Android phone to a GPS tracker unless you lot take no other options. For an culling that's more accurate and reliable, consider trying something similar the Spy Tec Portable GPS Tracker.

Looking for a GPS tracker for your kids? How about a telephone watch:

Nosotros hope y'all like the items nosotros recommend and discuss! MUO has affiliate and sponsored partnerships, so we receive a share of the revenue from some of your purchases. This won't touch the price you pay and helps u.s.a. offer the all-time production recommendations.

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Joel Lee (1498 Manufactures Published)

Joel Lee was formerly the Editor in Chief of MakeUseOf from 2022 to 2022. He has a B.South. in Calculator Science and over nine years of professional person writing and editing experience.

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