How to Track a Phone Without a SIM Card: 5 Methods We Tested

You can track a phone without a SIM card if the phone has a Wi-Fi connection. However, if the phone is offline or turned off, you can only track its last known location.

Knowing how to track a phone without a SIM card can prove handy if your phone is stolen and the thief removes the SIM card.

You may also want to track a teen’s phone if they have removed the SIM card to avoid being tracked, or find the location of a loved one abroad if their SIM card does not work there.

We tested different methods to track a phone without a SIM card and are here to show you the best options.

A SIM card is essential for network-based location tracking methods like cell tower triangulation and services provided by mobile network operators. However, technologies like GPS, Wi-Fi positioning, Bluetooth beacons, and offline sensors can provide location tracking independently of the SIM card.

What Tracking Tools Work With and Without SIM Card?

To understand the difference, let’s look at the infographics.

List of tracking tools with SIM card

Tracking tools that work with a SIM card include cell tower triangulation, network-based location services, and emergency services (e.g., E-911).

List of tracking tools without SIM card

Tracking tools that work without a SIM card include Wi-Fi positioning, GPS, Bluetooth beacons, offline maps and local sensors.

Use Google Find My Device

Google Find My Device can help you track an Android phone or tablet without a SIM card. During the latest Find My Device version 3.1.078-1 update, Google announced that parents can track supervised kids’ phones as well.

When the SIM card is removed, Google will rely on the device’s internet connectivity to find the phone. Your phone will still have access to GPS and Google can access its location.

I used Find My Device to track a mobile phone without a SIM, and it indicated it had tracked my Samsung A33 phone. To do the same, you need to ensure you have enabled the following settings:

• your phone must be on and connected to a Wi-Fi network;
• you must have a Google account connected to your Android phone;
• location services must be enabled;
• Google Find My Device must be on;
• your phone must be discoverable on Google Play.

When these conditions are met, you will be able to track a phone even without SIM card.

1. Open a browser window on a computer or another Android cell phone.
2. Open the Find My Device website by typing https://www.google.com/android/find/.
3. Log in to the same Google account connected to the lost or stolen device.
   
4. If you have more than one Android cell phone, click on the one you want to find.
5. Find My Device will triangulate the phone’s location and show its position on a map. Removing a SIM card will not stop tracking if the device is on and connected to a Wi-Fi network or mobile hotspot.
   
6. If the device is turned off, Find My Device will show its last known location.
7. You can tap on the pinned location to see directions to get to the position shown.
8. If the phone is on, and it’s nearby, you can use the Play Sound option to ring the device at its loudest volume. You can lock it with its PIN or password, or delete all data on the mobile phone using the Factory Reset option.
   

By the way, the Find My Device Network can also locate your device if it’s offline. Check the settings on your Android device > Tap Google > All Services > Find My Device > Tap Find Your Offline Devices.

Find My Device can also find turned off phones like Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro if location and Bluetooth were turned on before the device powered off.

Use Find My App for iPhone

An iPhone can be tracked without a SIM card with the Apple’s Find My network. Before I used Find My, I needed to enable it and the Send Last Location and Find My Network features.

Here’s how to turn on these settings on your iPhone:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Go to Find My iPhone and toggle the slider to the on position.
   
3. Also, enable [Find My Network] to allow it to find your iPhone when it’s offline.
4. Enable [Send Last Location] so that Find My Network sends the iPhone’s location automatically if the battery is critically low.
   
5. Your iPhone also needs to have an internet connection.

Once these settings are enabled, you can find your iPhone if it does not have a SIM card.

1. Open the iCloud website on another phone or computer by typing https://icloud.com/ on a browser.
2. Log in with your Apple ID and password that you used to set up Find My on your device.
   
3. You may be asked to enter a code sent to a trusted device. You can continue without entering the code by clicking the Find My Devices button at the bottom of the window.
   
4. Select your iOS device, and Find My will show its location on a map if it’s available. You can also select a device that is part of your family group to locate it if the owner has lost it, and it does not have a SIM card.
   
5. If Find My shows its location, you can click on the location and follow it to find the missing iPhone.
   
6. You can select [Mark as Lost] to leave a phone number message for the person who finds it. Additionally, Find My can lock your iOS device with its PIN or passcode when you select [Activate] or set a PIN to lock it remotely.
   
7. If the device is offline, it will be marked as offline. However, you can still locate it by using the Find My app to see its last known location.

Track Someone with mSpy

mSpy phone tracking app uses GPS tracking and Wi-Fi triangulation to find a phone’s location. It does not rely on cellular networks, meaning the phone does not need a SIM card for mSpy to find it.

mSpy is one of the best phone tracking apps, as it can find a phone’s location on a map. It tracks a phone in real time and lets you see a device’s location history, allowing you to find it.

How to Use mSpy to Track a Phone Without a SIM Card

You require an mSpy account to install the app on an Android phone. Besides, the phone must be turned on, and have an internet connection.

Once you have installed mSpy on the target phone, it will act as a built-in tracking service that does not require a SIM card or mobile data. Furthermore, it works in stealth mode, making it difficult to uninstall from the target mobile device.

Open the online dashboard and go to the GPS locations feature. mSpy will show you the phone’s current location as an address. It will also give you the phone’s latitude and longitude coordinates and the option to view the position on Google Maps.

If you are tracking a lost phone without a SIM card, mSpy will store recent locations, which can help you map a route to its last known location.

Try mSpy

Try Google Maps

You can track a phone without service on Google Maps, even if it’s stolen and the person has switched SIM cards, by using your Google Maps Timeline. You need another Android phone to log in and open the Google Maps app.

1. Log in to your Google account on Google Maps.
2. Tap your profile in the top-right corner.
   
3. Tap Your Timeline and then tap Today to open the calendar. You can also tap on this icon [<] to see the previous locations one day at a time.
   

Google Maps timeline is great for seeing past locations, which can prove handy when tracking a device’s location if its SIM card is removed or turned off.

Use Google Maps Location Sharing

You can also use Google Maps to share a location, which allows another person to track your phone’s location using GPS technology. This method works if you have the person’s email address or username on social media apps like Messenger, Telegram, and Snapchat.

Location sharing is great when you are travelling and have problems with your SIM card in another country.

1. Open the Google Maps app and tap your profile.
2. Tap location sharing.
   
3. Choose the platform you want to use to send the location link, such as Messenger, Gmail, or Snapchat.
   
4. Once you send the link, the other person can track your phone’s location for one hour or until you turn off location sharing.
   

Use Location Sharing in Social Media

Another method of tracking a device’s location is by location sharing on messaging apps. This method sends a pin location, allowing tracking for a specific duration. You can use popular messaging apps such as Messenger, Telegram, and Snapchat, since they do not require a SIM card, only an internet connection.

1. Open a messaging app such as Messenger, as we did in our experience.
2. Tap on the chat of the person you want to share the location with.
3. Tap the + sign on the menu and tap location.
4. Tap Start Sharing Live Location for 60 Minutes.
5. The person will receive your location and can track your phone for one hour.

Sharing location via Messenger and other messaging apps can be useful if your SIM card does not work abroad.

Can Police Track a Phone Without a SIM Card?

Police can track a phone without a SIM card using its International Mobile Equipment Identity Number (IMEI). The police will work with your phone carrier to track your phone using its IMEI number.

This method works using GPS tracking since the phone can still transmit its IMEI number to the nearest cell towers, and your carrier will use that to get your phone’s location data.

Remember that there is no online service that can track your phone by IMEI. Turn to the police.

Conclusion

Thus, you track a phone without a SIM card with different methods due to GPS and the Internet. Find My Device is the best for finding own Android devices, while Find My is the ideal choice for finding your iPhone without a SIM card.

Still, using a phone tracking app can be helpful if you want to track a teenager who has removed their SIM card to avoid tracking.