How to Track an iPhone if the Location is Off [Tested Guide, 2025]

If the iPhone’s location is off, tracking seems impossible. But there are still some methods to find an iPhone, whether it’s lost or you’re trying to track someone with their location services off.

Apple’s Find My app can use its users’ network to track a lost iPhone with Bluetooth, while online services like Scannero help activate the other phone’s location services remotely.

In this in-depth guide, we’ll explore how to use available tracking tools properly for effective results, whether you’re a parent, a friend, or someone who misplaced their phone.

Realities of iPhone Tracking with Location On and Off

What is the role of the location services in tracking in the first place? iPhones use a mix of GPS, Wi-Fi, cellular towers, and Bluetooth technologies to determine their position.

When location services are enabled, these tools work together seamlessly, allowing apps like Find My to give you a precise location. But when they’re switched off, the options narrow significantly.

Let’s break it down with a comparison:

When location services are off, real-time tracking via GPS stops, but cached data or Bluetooth-based solutions like Find My Network can still come to the rescue.

Below, we’ll explore these options in detail, starting with Apple’s own tools.

Does Turning Off Location Services Stop Find My iPhone?

Apple’s Find My app is the go-to for locating lost or stolen iPhones. While turning off location services limits its functionality, iOS devices have built-in features to keep the app functional even in challenging scenarios.

When Find My can’t use direct location data (when services are on), it starts using the Find My Network (which works even when they’re off). Here’s how the last one works.

Find My Network

Effectiveness: This only works if the feature was enabled beforehand, if the iPhone has Bluetooth turned on, and if it is near other Apple devices. Rural areas with fewer users might reduce its effectiveness.

Introduced with iOS 13, the Find My Network is a game-changer for tracking offline devices. It turns millions of Apple devices worldwide into a crowdsourced detection system. The one condition: turn on Bluetooth. If you use wireless AirPods or Apple Watch, it should not be a problem.

Your iPhone sends out an encrypted Bluetooth signal that a nearby Apple device (like an iPad, Mac, or someone’s iPhone) can pick up and relay back to you without anyone knowing the details.

The Find My network works in the background, even if your iPhone is offline or turned off. As long as Find My is enabled on your iPhone, nearby Apple devices will help locate it.

Here’s how to find an iPhone if the location is off with this feature:

Step 1: You’ll need access to the Find My service. You can use any device with an internet connection for this.

• On an iPhone or iPad: Look for the “Find My” app on the home screen (it has a green icon with a radar-like design).
• On a Mac: Open the “Find My” app from the Applications folder or use Spotlight (press Command + Space, then type “Find My”).
• On the web: Type icloud.com/find into the address bar of any browser and press Enter.

Step 2: Sign In (If Needed)

If the device is already signed in to your Apple ID, it should automatically display your devices. If not, sign in with your Apple ID and password.

Step 3: Select Your iPhone

In the app, tap or click the “Devices” tab (usually at the bottom on iPhone/iPad or in the sidebar on Mac). Find your lost iPhone in the list and select it.

Step 5: Locate Your iPhone on the Map

Once you’ve selected your iPhone in the Find My app or on its web version, the map will zoom to the last known or approximate location of your iPhone. A dot or pin (usually green) will mark its position.

If the dot is solid, it’s a recent or precise location. If it’s faint or has a timestamp, it’s the last known location before the battery died, or the location was turned off. If no location appears, it means no nearby Apple device has detected your iPhone yet.

Practical tip: If the last known location shows your home but you lost it elsewhere, think about where you went next. It might have died or disconnected shortly after leaving that spot. This method works best when the battery runs out.

Use Google Maps to Find Your iPhone

Effectiveness: shows the last known location if the feature was enabled.

You can try finding your lost iPhone without the Find My app with Google Maps, but they can show only the last known location. Still, if you have a Google account and have let Google Maps use your location previously, there is a chance that the app stores your timeline.

To check that:

• open Google Maps on another phone;
• log in to your Google account;
• click on your photo in the right corner and choose Your Timeline. If this feature is enabled, you will see the last stored location of your device.

Can I Use Phone Tracker Without Location On?

Third-party phone trackers promise advanced tracking, especially for parents keeping tabs on kids. These parental control apps usually use GPS, Wi-Fi, and mobile data for location tracking. When the location is off, they can still locate a phone through Wi-Fi positioning or cell tower triangulation with mobile data.

Try EyeZy for Tracking Kid’s iPhone

Effectiveness: it works if Wi-Fi or mobile internet are turned on. With location off, the app mainly determines location based on connected Wi-Fi routers. Need to be pre-installed.

EyeZy excels at tracking iPhones and monitoring call logs, texts, and app usage while syncing this data via iCloud or a pre-installed app. It needs GPS and location services active on the target iPhone for precise location tracking. Still, there are some options apart from that:

• EyeZy can show location history if the phone was tracked before location was turned off.
• EyeZy can use Wi-Fi positioning to locate an iPhone through connected routers.
• If an iPhone is jailbroken, EyeZy may have deeper access to system files and still collect some location data through logs or background processes.

How to use it: Install eyeZy on the target kid’s device and turn on all the necessary settings for every kind of tracking.

Try EyeZy

Can I Find an iPhone If the Location is Off by Phone Number?

The results are not guaranteed, but you can give it a try. Some phone number trackers use location tracking links that, with a click on it, activate someone’s location services to track them. So, if a person consents to this, you get their location even if location services were off before that.

Use Scannero Phone Number Tracker

Effectiveness: depends on the other person’s interaction with a tracking link.

Scannero lets you request someone’s location without them knowing. You can mask your request, and a person will not know who does it, but they will get a notification request to turn on their location.

Try Scannero.io

Here’s how it works:

1. Go to Scannero.io and enter the iPhone’s number. You will need to create an account and choose a one-day trial or monthly subscription.
2. Write a custom message to make a person click the link.
3. If the user clicks, their phone will ask them to turn on the location. If they do this, you get an update on their position in your Scannero account.

Conclusion

Tracking an iPhone with its location off is tough, as every tool relies mainly on the location services. Still, Apple’s Find My Network offers robust solutions if set up ahead of time, and your iPhone has Bluetooth on.

Anyway, Find My should show you the last known location.

The takeaway? Prevention beats cure—enable Find My and Find My Network now to avoid future headaches. Install a parental control app with location tracking on your child’s iPhone. Always be a step ahead.