How to Track an iPhone Location by Phone Number: The Complete Guide

March 9, 2024

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Have you ever lost your iPhone and desperately tried to track its location? Or maybe you wanted to find the location of your child or employee’s iPhone for safety reasons? Whatever the reason, you can use the iPhone number to track its geographical location.

In this complete guide, we will explore different methods to track an iPhone’s real-time location using just the phone number. Whether you own the iPhone or want to track someone else’s covertly, this guide has got you covered.

Why Track an iPhone Location by Number?

Here are some common scenarios when you may want to track an iPhone’s location using its number:

  • Your iPhone is lost or stolen, and you want to track it.
  • You want to find the location of your child’s iPhone to know they are safe.
  • You want to keep tabs on an elderly family member’s location.
  • You want to track the location of an employee’s work iPhone during business hours.
  • You suspect a spouse or partner is cheating and want to monitor their location.
  • You had to give your iPhone to a friend/repair shop and want to track its location.

The reasons can be endless, but the primary motives are security, safety concerns, and suspicions about the iPhone user’s activities.

Is It Possible to Track an iPhone by Number?

Yes, it is technically possible to track the geographical coordinates of an iPhone using just the phone number. However, there are a few requirements:

  • The iPhone must have cellular connectivity or WiFi access to transmit location data. Airplane mode disables all transmission.
  • Location services need to be enabled on the iPhone. They can be turned off in Settings.
  • The phone number should be active and connected to that iPhone. Changing SIM cards will change the associated number.

As long as these conditions are met, the iPhone transmits location data to Apple’s servers to power services like Find My iPhone. This can then be accessed using the phone number. Apps that access this data can look up locations associated with a particular number.

Some caveats to note – the location tracking may not be 100% precise to the street address level. But you will get a general idea of where the iPhone is at any given time.

Key Takeaways on How to Track an iPhone Location by Number

  • Use Apple’s iCloud Find My iPhone feature to track your own lost or stolen iPhone for free. Just log in at iCloud.com.
  • Spy apps like mSpy and FlexiSPY tap into an iPhone’s location data. They require installing an app on the target device.
  • Scannero is a paid web service requiring just the phone number to track an iPhone location.
  • Google provides location history data that can be accessed if the iPhone user is logged into Google apps.
  • Law enforcement can obtain location data from cell phone carriers if criminal activity is suspected.
  • Changing the SIM card or switching off location access prevents the phone from transmitting location data.
  • Tracking an iPhone without the user’s consent raises ethical and legal issues in many regions.

Detailed Methods to Track an iPhone Location by Number

Methods to Track an iPhone Location by Number

Now let’s explore some step-by-step methods to track down an iPhone location remotely using just the phone number.

1. Use Find My iPhone via iCloud

Apple provides the Find My iPhone service for free to all users who have iCloud enabled on their devices. It lets you track, lock, erase, and ping your lost or stolen iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks.

Here’s how to use Find My iPhone to track an iPhone location by number:

  1. Open any web browser on your computer and go to iCloud.com. Sign in using your Apple ID credentials.
  2. The Find My iPhone page will open. Look for the device you want to track from the list and select it.
  3. The iPhone’s current location will now show up on the map as a green dot. You can see the address and surrounding landmarks.
  4. You can also play a sound on the iPhone, enable Lost Mode, or remotely erase your iPhone data using the available options.
  5. When done, click your profile icon → Sign Out to log out of iCloud.

The Find My network uses GPS, WiFi hotspots, and cellular networks to determine the phone’s location. As long as the phone has Internet access and location services enabled, you will be able to track your iPhone.

Pro Tip: Enable Find My iPhone on your phone in advance under Settings > Your Profile > Find My > Find My iPhone. This will ensure it is tracked if lost.

2. Install a Phone Monitoring App on the iPhone

mSpy

Spy apps like mSpy and FlexiSPY provide detailed phone monitoring beyond just location tracking. They capture texts, calls, social media chats, browsing history, and GPS coordinates.

Here are the basics of using such apps to track an iPhone:

  • Purchase a subscription for an iPhone spy app service online. Monthly plans start around $10 to $15.
  • Follow their instructions to install the phone tracker app on the target iPhone. This may require jailbreaking or Apple ID access.
  • Log into your account dashboard online to access the GPS location data and other activity logs.
  • The app will keep running in the background covertly on the iPhone to transmit information.

Phone monitoring apps provide more powerful tracking than Find My iPhone. But they require installing invasive software on the target device which raises privacy issues. Only use them legally and ethically for legitimate purposes like parental monitoring.

3. Use a Phone Number Tracking Service

scannero website

Scannero is a paid web service that can track the real-time location of any phone number globally. Here’s how it works:

  1. Go to the Scannero website and enter the phone number you want to track in the search bar.
  2. Select a subscription plan for one-time or recurring access. Plans start from $3 for a 3-day trial.
  3. Make the payment to proceed. Scannero will send an SMS to the phone number with a link.
  4. When the iPhone user clicks this link, Scannero captures the phone’s GPS coordinates.
  5. You then get to view the current location on an online map along with address details.

This process works as long as the target iPhone is connected to the mobile network. It does not require installing any apps on the device.

4. Check Google Timeline and Maps

If the target iPhone user is logged into Google apps and services like Gmail, Maps, etc., Google saves their location history and activity data.

You can use this to passively track an iPhone’s location:

  1. On your computer browser, go to Google Maps Timeline at google.com/maps/timeline. Log in with the target iPhone user’s Google account.
  2. You will see their location history plotted on the map. Check the timeline on the left to see places visited on specific dates and times.
  3. Google also provides information like modes of travel, duration of stay, photos taken, etc. along with the coordinates.

This method is completely passive and does not require any access to the iPhone. However, it only works if location history is enabled and logged into Google.

5. Contact Telecom Carriers

As a last resort, you can contact the telecom carrier associated with the iPhone’s SIM card. They have access to technical user data that includes historical location records based on cell tower connections.

Law enforcement agencies can formally request carriers to obtain such location data if criminal activity is suspected. But as an individual, you may still be able to get basic user information by contacting customer support.

Reach out to the mobile carrier and provide details like the iPhone number, duration, prepaid/postpaid connection, etc. Verify your identity as the account owner. They may be able to assist in tracking the device.

However, this method has legal restrictions based on the region. Use it only if all other options have failed.

6. Switch SIM Cards to Prevent Tracking

On the flip side, you can prevent the iPhone from being tracked by phone number if you want to protect your privacy.

Here’s what you can do:

  • Eject the SIM card from the iPhone and switch to a new SIM card from a different carrier. This changes the associated phone number.
  • Put the iPhone into Airplane mode to cut off all communication channels. WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity will also be disabled.
  • Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and disable location access for all apps. This will stop transmission of GPS data.
  • Disable Find My iPhone in Settings so your device can no longer be tracked or erased remotely.

Without a functional SIM card and location access, it becomes nearly impossible to track the iPhone’s geographical location by phone number or any other means.

FAQs on Tracking an iPhone Location by Number

Here are some common questions on locating an iPhone by number:

Q. Can you track a stolen iPhone that does not have location services enabled?

No, if location access is disabled on the iPhone, Find My iPhone or tracker apps will not be able to collect GPS data to determine the phone’s position. It prevents any tracking by number.

Q. Do you need to jailbreak an iPhone before installing a spy app?

Most spy apps today do not require jailbreaking thanks to Apple’s Enterprise Developer program. However, you need the Apple ID and password of the target iPhone. Jailbreaking gives more access but voids the warranty.

Q. Can iPhone locations be tracked from Android devices?

Yes, you can use Find My iPhone on iCloud’s website from any device with a browser. Third-party tracking apps also provide Android Dashboards to view iPhone locations from Android mobiles or tablets.

Q. What information can telecom carriers provide for tracking?

Carriers have technical user data that may include call and cellular tower connections history. This can give an approximate area of the phone number but not precise GPS coordinates.

Q. Can a new SIM card protect your iPhone privacy?

Changing to a new SIM card from another carrier will assign a new phone number to your iPhone. It prevents the old number from being used to track your device’s location.

Q. Is iPhone tracking legal without the user’s consent?

No, tracking an iPhone without consent is usually illegal except for legitimate circumstances like parental monitoring and enterprise IT policy for company-owned devices. There are legal restrictions against spying.

Q. How accurate is the location data provided by tracking services?

Find My iPhone taps GPS so it can pinpoint locations down to a few meters. Cell tower connections give an approximate area. Tracking app accuracy depends on the iPhone model – newer phones with A-GPS provide better accuracy.

Q. Can an iPhone be tracked if it is switched off?

No, the device has to be powered on and connected to the Internet via cellular network or WiFi to transmit location data. Powering off the iPhone or putting it in Airplane mode will make it untraceable.

Q. Do you need physical access to the iPhone to install spyware?

Most spy apps require the iCloud credentials or Apple ID password of the iPhone for remote installation. Some may need a jailbreak. Physical access is usually not required.

Wrap Up

I hope this guide gives you a clear understanding of how to track an iPhone location by just the phone number using different options. The key is to utilize services that can access GPS and cell network location data associated with the number on the target device.

However, please use discretion. Spying on people’s locations without consent is unethical in most cases. Only track phones belonging to your minor children or company employees per IT policy for legitimate purposes. Monitor teens with care to build trust.

If your own iPhone is lost, Find My iPhone should be sufficient to locate it. Just make sure “Send Last Location” is enabled in case the battery runs out. Leverage tracking features responsibly!