Mobile phone tracking is using technology to track a phone’s location. Tracking a phone in Nigeria can be vital in times of insurgency and because of the high crime rate and incidences of human trafficking in the country.
In this article, we’ll guide you on how to track a lost or stolen phone in Nigeria, share location with friends, monitor a child’s phone, and do a reverse phone lookup to identify unknown callers.
If you’re rushing, use one of these three sites to track a phone number in Nigeria: Scannero, Detectico, and GEOfinder. These services offer cheap trials that cost less than 806 NGN.
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Free Brand Locator Apps to Track Phone Location
Popular mobile brands in Nigeria like Samsung, Apple, and Xiaomi have their locator apps. They are the most effective way to track a lost or stolen phone; thus, we recommend using such apps for all Nigerian residents, especially in high-crime cities like Borno, Kaduna, Niger, Lagos.
Best For: Locating a lost or stolen phone for free.
Price: Free.
Pros:
- you can track your phone’s live location;
- you can see the location of friends and family on some apps;
- can locate more than one device on a single account;
- encrypts location to prevent loss of privacy.
Cons:
- not anonymous when used for location sharing;
- most cannot track a device when it’s not connected to the internet.
Here are common free brand locator apps to track a phone in Nigeria:
Find My for iOS
Find My is Apple’s location tracking app. Your iPhone needs the Find My feature enabled to locate your iPhone using the app.
If you lose your phone, you can log in to the Find My app using your iCloud credentials, and you will see your iPhone’s location on a map. If it’s online, you can make it ring to help you find it. Moreover, you can locate friends and family members sharing their location with you.
Find My Device for Google account users
Google’s Find My Device is a feature that helps you locate primarily an Android device. The tool is built on all Android devices that run on Google Mobile Services. It’s also perfect for finding Tecno or Infinix phone.
You need to enable the feature and have a Google account. If your Android phone is lost or stolen, you will need to log in to your Google account at https://www.google.com/android/find/, and Find My Device will locate your smartphone.
Additionally, you can make your phone ring or erase any data on it if there’s little chance of recovering it. Note that your phone needs to be on and connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data for the service to work.
SmartThings Find for Samsung
SmartThings Find is a Samsung feature that helps you track all your Samsung devices. The app will scan for your Samsung phone and show its location on a map. This service includes the location address and a timestamp of when it was at that location.
You can opt for other Galaxy users to find the lost device if your phone is off. If the smartphone has been offline for 30 minutes, it starts to transmit a Bluetooth signal to nearby devices, which helps locate the lost device.
Mi Cloud for Xiaomi
If you have a Xiaomi or RedMi phone, you can locate it using Xiaomi Mi Find My Device. You will need a Mi account that links to all your devices. If your phone gets lost, you can see its location from your Mi account.
Xiaomi Mi Cloud also allows you to erase all data if recovering the lost device is impossible.
Locate Someone Via Messengers
Location sharing is another method of tracking a phone number in Nigeria. When you use the live location-sharing feature on popular apps such as WhatsApp and IMO, you will tell your family and friends your ETA and keep them apprised of your whereabouts if you’re visiting a new place or meeting someone.
We recommend using location-sharing features in Nigeria, since it can save time when responding to emergencies. It can help you respect the personal space of kids sharing their location with you, as you don’t need to keep calling or texting to know their whereabouts.
Best For: Short-time location sharing with family and friends.
Price: Free.
Pros:
- great for short-time location sharing;
- you can choose anyone from your contacts to share location with.
Cons:
- can drain battery with long-time location sharing;
- you can’t track someone if they are not in your contacts.
How to use location-sharing on IMO, one of Nigeria’s most popular communication apps:
- Open a chat window on the IMO app. Tap on the plus icon below the message box.
- Tap location on the menu that pops up at the bottom. IMO will ask you to allow it to access the device’s location if you use the feature for the first time.
- IMO will pull up your current location and other nearby locations. Tap the send arrow to share your current location.
IMO will embed the location in a text and send it to the person. The individual can then see your location on a map and get directions to where you are.
How to Track a Phone Number in Nigeria
You can use a dedicated tracker to track location with phone number in Nigeria. Most of them allow you to track not just Nigerian phone numbers, but any cell phone number worldwide. It’s great for tourists or when you need to get someone’s location anonymously.
Best For: Location tracking with a phone number anonymously.
Price: Trials cost as little as 806 NGN.
Phone number trackers are reliable since they do not rely on continuous internet connectivity. They can function effectively in areas with intermittent network access, especially in times of insurgency where you need to locate a loved one fast.
You can start with HeyLocate Free Phone Number Tracker Nigeria. This service will show you the basic location and phone information and guide you further if you need more details.
The mentioned Scannero, Detectico and GEOfinder allow you to send SMS with a tracking link to a person you want to locate. The SMS can be anonymous.
Pros:
- work on all operating systems and phone carriers;
- can send personalized anonymous messages to the target;
- no need to install an app;
- can show the real-time position of a phone number on a map.
Cons:
- requires the target to tap a link to receive their location;
- some require paying a subscription fee.
Continuous Tracking with Phone Trackers
A phone tracker is an app that works similarly to a surveillance tool. It can track locations, SMS, calls, browser activity, messaging apps, and other smartphone features.
Best for: monitoring a kid’s live location.
Price: Approx. 39,000NGN per month.
Why use such a comprehensive tracker? In Nigeria, 90% of kids under 16 have been exposed to one or more cyber risks at least once. The Open Eyes project in Lagos revealed that 7 out of 10 boys and 6 out of 10 girls have accessed online pornography unintentionally.
Therefore, using a phone monitoring app is essential to ensure you know what your kid is accessing on their phone. In addition, you will see the places they visit, who they chat with, and the messages they send. The phone tracking apps like mSpy, uMobix and Mobicip allow you to do this.
Pros:
- access your child’s call logs and locations;
- view of all messages sent from the target device;
- see media files stored on the device;
- alert features for location tracking;
- some offer geofencing features.
Cons:
- most require a monthly subscription;
- may face technical limitations depending on the phone’s operating system.
Try Reverse Phone Lookup
Reverse phone lookup is a service that reveals the name and address of a phone number. It can also tell you the origin of a phone number.
The Nigeria Phonebook is an example of a service that offers reverse phone lookup, although during our testing it didn’t show any results, still you may try it.
You can also track a phone number in Nigeria using Truecaller, but it relies solely on users’ reports about whether the number is a scam or not.
Price: Most are free, but may require a fee to unlock more details.
Pros:
- reveals the name of an unknown caller;
- can show you the origin of a call;
- some services can tell if a number belongs to a spammer;
- you may see comments from other users about the owner of the phone number.
Cons:
- only location history data in the form of registered residence on most services;
- require payment to obtain comprehensive information.
How to Track a Phone Number in Nigeria for Free and Anonymously
To locate someone in Nigeria for free, use tracking by phone’s IP location. Below are the instructions.
- Find an image, story, or video you want to share with the target. The idea is to attach a tracking link to the media you choose.
- Find a link shortener site that can embed the tracking link to the media. Some great sites are IP locators https://iplogger.org/ and https://grabify.link/.
- Enter the media’s URL in the link shortener and click “Create URL” or “Create Short Link.”
- Send the link generated to the person you want to track.
- Once the person clicks on the media you’ve sent, the service will display their location. You will also see the device they used to click on the link.
How to Track a Stolen Phone With IMEI Number in Nigeria
IMEI, or International Mobile Equipment Identity, is a 15-digit serial number unique to every device. Many sites claim they can help you find a phone’s location using its IMEI. However, no site, including imei-tracker.com, can track a phone with the help of the IMEI number. These sites are fake and only want to make money from advertising.
Only the Nigerian police can help you track a phone using the IMEI number.
Remember to write down your phone’s IMEI number before it gets lost. You can find it in the box your phone came with, or by dialing *#06#.
When your phone gets stolen, report the theft to the police and provide them with the IMEI number. The police will contact your phone carrier and give them your phone’s IMEI.
Nigerian phone carriers like Airtel Nigeria, MTN, 9Mobile, and Globacom can use GPS location tracking to find the phone’s location, even if the user changes the SIM card.
If you have lost an MTN phone, call 180 from an MTN phone to request that the line be blocked.
For Airtel customers, you can dial 198 or 121 from an Airtel phone number to block the lost SIM card.
9Mobile users can contact the service’s customer support team at +234 809 0000 300 to block a lost phone number, while Globacom prepaid customers can call 121 or 200 for postpaid customers for free to report a lost cell phone.
Comparison of the Tools for Cell Phone Tracking
To choose the best way for phone tracking in Nigeria, compare the tools features in the table below.
Service | Best For | Pros | Cons |
---|---|---|---|
Brand Apps | Locating your own lost or stolen | Can show the live location of a lost phone It’s free | Will not find a phone when it’s turned off or offline |
Location Sharing Via Messengers | Short-time location sharing with family and friends | Helps to see a loved one’s ETA Can be used as a safety tool for parents | Can open up room for stalkers |
Phone Number Location Trackers | Locating someone anonymously | Work on all operating systems Don’t always depend on an internet connection | May not always reveal the real-time location of a phone |
Phone Trackers | Tracking a child’s location | Shows the live location of tracked phone Monitors other important features of your child’s phone | Requires installing in the tracked device May affect the battery life of the monitored phone |
Reverse Phone Lookup | Knowing the identity behind an unknown phone number | Reveals more information about the owner of a phone number | Does not show the live location of the phone number’s owner |
Is it Legal to Track a Phone Number Location in Nigeria?
The Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) stipulates that personal data is any information that relates directly or indirectly to an identifiable or identified individual. Such information includes their name, identification number, and location data.
A data controller is any individual, agency, private entity, public commission, or body that determines the use of data. Data processing, which includes accessing someone’s location data, should be lawful, and you need to obtain consent from the person whose data you are accessing.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)
Tracking a phone in Nigeria should be done lawfully with consent from the person you are tracking.
Tracking a phone is free if you use brand locator apps or location sharing through messengers. Meanwhile, phone monitoring apps cost a monthly fee, and phone number trackers have cheap trials.
To track someone using their phone for free, ask them to share their location with you through Google Maps or messenger. If you need to track your own phone, use Google Find My Device or Find My app for iOS.
You can use an online phone tracking service like Scannero, Detectico, and Geofinder that send anonymous SMS with a tracking link.
The best phone tracker in Nigeria depends on your needs. Use Scannero or Detectico when you know only the phone number, and mSpy or uMobix for installing on the target phone and continuously tracking.
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