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Last Updated: Jan 15, 2023
Cell phones make great GPS tracking devices.
Are you looking to keep track of your family’s location, or employees, or just protect your phone if it is lost or stolen?
In this article, we discuss how to use an App as a GPS tracker for phones and some of the features to look for and how to use them.
To Track the GPS Location of a Phone, do the following:
- Install the Trakkit App on the target Phone
- In the App, Share the Location via your Email Address
- (optionally Hide the App on the target Phone)
- Install the App on your Cell Phone to Monitor
Top Features of a GPS Tracker for Phone:
1. Reliable Tracking:
Many apps only show you the location of the phone at the moment you check. That is too limited since it is important to know where they have been and how long they were at a location.
The tracking app should be able to provide real-time updates and recorded GPS locations if there is no cellular coverage.
Sharing allows your friends or family members to see your phone’s GPS coordinates location that you want to share with them.
This feature allows them to also monitor your location, and create alerts. They would simply install the App on their mobile phone and create an account. Then you can share your phone tracking location with them.
3. Downloadable Tracking History:
A great feature is the ability to download the GPS tracking history. If the format is a CSV file, then you can open it and analyze it on your own systems.
4. Works on iOS, Android, & Desktop:
Trakkit has an app for iOS, Android, and desktop. This allows you to use your own phone as a GPS tracker, even if temporary, and then monitor your phone’s location from any desktop browser.
This is also how you would locate your phone if lost or stolen.
Research states that 70 million smartphones are lost each year, with only 7 percent recovered. (source)
5. Geo-Fencing with Alerts:
Geo-fencing is a feature that monitors the phone’s location within a certain zone or area (geo-zone). Think of it as a fence and if your phone goes on the other side of the fence you can get an alert.
For example, your child arrives home and you get an alert via email or text message.
6. Speed Alerts:
A GPS tracker for phone can also monitor the speed of the device. You could set an alert if a speed threshold is exceeded.
For example, you could get a text alert if your son exceeds a certain speed while driving.
7. Battery Level Alerts:
You can also get an alert if the battery level of the cell phone is below a certain level. You may want to know if that cell phone is about to lose power.
8. Tracking even when No Cell Coverage:
A cell phone does not need cell coverage to use GPS tracking. Since the GPS functionality is separate from cellular communication, the phone can still record the GPS location data even if there is no cell coverage or even a SIM card.
See detailed explanation of how GPS works without data.
This provides a way to secretly track someone or track a car cheaply without having to buy an expensive data plan for a phone.
9. Monitor Unlimited Devices on 1 Account:
You can have as many phones sharing their location with you, such that this allows you to see multiple phones on one account.
if you have a fleet of vehicles or a commercial account and want to monitor your drivers or personnel all from one account.
10. API Access for Commercial:
Trakkit offers an API that allows the tracking data to be pulled into your backend systems.
11. Ability to Hide the App:
The ability to hide an app so the user does not see it can be very helpful. You may want to hide it from your kids, or employees from finding and uninstalling the app.
Here’s how you can hide an app for iOS and this is how to hide an app for Android.
12. Configurable GPS Ping rate
As an advanced feature, you can change the data ping rate. This allows you to create a GPS track point every 3 seconds.
This may create a lot of data, but is necessary if you need to track special equipment, like snowplows, salt machines, excavators, etc.
See Also:
How to Track a Car with a Cell Phone
FAQs:
How can I GPS track a cell phone for free?
The Trakkit app is free, once installed, will allow you to track your cell phone.
Can a cell phone be used as a GPS tracker?
Yes, install the Trakkit app and place the phone where you need to track.