How To Track Someone When Their Location is Off [Tested Tools]

When someone’s phone location is off, you cannot track them with standard methods. Available options include inferring location from cellular or Wi-Fi networks, accessing IP addresses, using social engineering (not recommended), or law enforcement intervention with proper authorization.

When someone’s phone location is off, you cannot track them with standard methods. So, what to do then? Maybe, there’s something wrong with the phone’s location services on your child’s cell phone, or a vulnerable family member risks getting lost. At times, your rebel teen could turn off their location services on purpose. Or perhaps you need to serve legal papers or track down a parent for custody, but how to find their location when phone location is off? There are some tools.

The HeyLocate team has researched different ways how it is possible and which of tracking apps work without phone’s location services or activate them forcibly.

Note: HeyLocate does not advise illegal usage of location tracking tools. All our recommendations should be used legal and for solving real problems.

How Does Phone Tracking Work If My Location Is Off?

The truth is that the phone can still be tracked even if all location services and GPS are turned off. That’s because your phone’s built-in location services include not only GPS, but also Wi-Fi, network triangulation, and Bluetooth beacons. Apps and websites often use these services to offer location-based services.

GPS (Global Positioning System) uses satellites to determine the precise location of a GPS-enabled device. GPS is usually accurate by a few meters and is, therefore, reliable for navigation. But it works only when the phone’s location services are on.

Your device also has an IP address, a unique identifier assigned to every device when it connects to the internet. This IP address can be tracked to reveal the phone’s general location. While the IP address is not as accurate as GPS, it can assist you to track an Android phone when the device’s location services are off.

There are more other methods someone may use to track your phone’s location. They include:

Cell Carrier Towers

Cell tower triangulation can determine a device’s location based on the signal strength and proximity to nearby cell towers. This method measures the strength and timing of the signals received by multiple cell towers. Nevertheless, this method works accurately if the phone’s location services are on. To locate a lost Android cell phone that is turned off, you can only track it to the last location the phone had connected to a network.

The average Joe lacks the knowledge and tools to use cell towers to track a phone’s location. Only law enforcement and private investigators, including accident investigators, possess the necessary skills and tools to use cell towers to triangulate a phone’s location.

Free Wi-Fi Networks

If your phone’s location services are turned off, but your Wi-Fi is on, it’s possible to track your phone using free Wi-Fi networks. Free Wi-Fi hotspots are everywhere across the US, including shopping malls and airports. When you connect to the free Wi-Fi, it’s owned by third-party companies that use Wi-Fi location tracking.

These companies ask you to agree to location tracking when you sign on. They can also use words like “location data” to get you to sign on. Once you sign on, they can track your location whenever you’re in the free Wi-Fi hotspot range.

Moreover, if your phone is ever near a router belonging to the company you initially signed on to, the company will automatically recognize the device and can track your location across different locations.

Spyware and Malware

Someone can use spyware or malware to track someone’s phone secretly. One method is phishing, where you will receive a text message or email with a link. Once you click the link, the spyware is downloaded to your device automatically.

According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), in the second quarter of 2022, total phishing attacks in the US raised to 1,097,811 – it is a new record and the worst quarter for phishing that APWG has ever observed.

Spyware and malware collect information, including the device’s cellular network, Wi-Fi networks, and GPS coordinates. This information can track a phone in real-time even if location services are off. Some malware collects data such as text messages, browsing history, call logs, and other sensitive information.

If you suspect that someone is using spyware or malware to track your location, uninstall any suspicious apps or reset your phone to its factory settings. You can also report to the authorities for further protection.

Cell Site Simulators (StingRays)

Cell site simulators are also known as stingrays since they pose as legitimate cell towers, tricking phones within a certain radius into connecting to them rather than a tower. 

Stingrays collect visitor location data and can accurately pinpoint the device’s location.

If you’re wondering can police track your phone if location is off, you should be worried about cell site simulators. Law enforcement has been linked to using cell-site simulators to pinpoint mobile phones locations. They can also use stingrays to log IMSI (unique mobile phone identifying numbers) within a given area.

Third-Party Apps and Online Services

Third-party apps and online services obtain location data with the user’s consent. This is visually stipulated in the app’s terms of service. These apps and online services are created for parental controls and legal use, although one can use them as they’d like.

You can use these apps to monitor a child’s cell phone activity. They can track the exact location of a child using GPS data and other built-in location services to transmit location data. The app must be compatible with the phone’s operating system to transmit data, as seen in the next section.

Trackers That Work When Location is Off

Honestly to say, we have already known these services for tracking location, but never knew that they can do it with phone location off. So, let’s have a look at new options for tracking.

For example, mSpy, Eyezy, and Phonsee track location also through Wi-Fi connections. However, they need to be installed previously on the device to be able to track it. It’s a suitable family tracker.

Meanwhile, Detectico, Scannero, or GEOFinder use a location tracking link that uses a phone’s IP address to find out its location.

This service worked even if my target had turned off location services. All it required was for the recipient to click the link, and the phone had to have an internet connection.

Try Detectico

Conclusion

Tracking someone when their phone’s location is off can be a hit-or-miss experience. However, with the right tools, you can go from wondering about someone’s location to knowing where they are even when their location services are turned off.