Most people use the popular Google Maps app solely for navigating purposes, i.e. finding a particular address.
However, you can also use this application to track the location of another person (friend, parent or child, husband or wife). Displaying the current position on the map, the app also shows the Timeline, or the Location History — the places the person has been to, the routes they have used, and even the transport they have used.
So, let’s find out in detail how to track someone on Google Maps without them knowing!
How accurate is Google location tracking?
The popular app uses the phone’s GPS sensor, being able to determine the position on the map with an accuracy of up to 20 meters. The application is constantly being improved and can define the position on the map of the monitored phone based on information about the Wi-Fi network, and then show the exact spot.
If neither Wi-Fi nor GPS is currently available, the application may use cellular data to determine the area where the person is. This gives less accurate results, but you can launch high accuracy mode (“Settings” > “Location” > “Mode” > “High Accuracy”).
So, if you’re asking yourself — Can I track someone on Google Maps in real time? — then yes, you can do that!
Can you track someone on Google Maps without them knowing?
It is not quite easy to track someone’s phone through Google Maps and completely stay in the shade since the person you want to track needs to enable Location Tracking for you. Of course, if you have physical access to the monitored phone, you can enable this feature yourself without them knowing.
Another thing you need to know is that Google sends regular notifications whenever anyone shares their Location. Therefore, spying on someone with the “Maps” app is almost impossible without their consent.
So, can you track someone on Google Maps without them knowing? Well, if you really need to do so, then you’d better use some top-rated spying software such as mSpy, uMobix and many other modern apps.
How do I secretly track someone on Google Maps?
How to track someone using Google Maps without them knowing? For that, you need to get physical access to the phone you want to track and enable location sharing on it. Also, you will need the passcode to unlock the phone and get the app installed. Finally, the user must be logged into their Google account.
If you want to track someone on Google Maps if sharing is enabled and you want to stay invisible, then we can reassure you — all these actions will not really affect battery life. Most likely, all these things have already been done on a smartphone (this app is very popular and usually is installed out of the box, everyone uses the Internet anyway, and people use geolocation services for lots of apps, which is why this feature is active by default).
Track iPhone on Google Maps
To track someone using Google Maps and iPhone, you need to activate Location Services for the app. It’s worth knowing that you don’t necessarily need to run the app itself, but running the above-mentioned feature is a must for tracking.
Here’s how to do it:
- Go to “Settings”;
- Tap “Privacy”;
- Turn on the “Location Services”;
- Choose Google Maps, then tap “Always”.
After enabling Location Services, you will be able to view Tracking History:
- Launch the app and tap your profile photo;
- Then tap “Your data”, go to the “Controls” section and choose “See & delete activity”;
- Now, a map will open showing you the most recent history, travel routes, and landmarks. You can zoom in the map to see the details. You can choose other dates in the menu under the map and see the details.
Track Android on Google Maps
How to follow someone on Google Maps on Android? Here is what you should do:
- Launch the app on the phone you want to track;
- Open “Profile settings”, then “Location Sharing”;
- Click “Where I am” and select “Access by link”;
- Send the link to your device in any convenient way (this will help if you do not have access to your Google account) or access your account.
How to share location on Google Maps:
- To start tracking someone, open the app;
- Go to “Profile settings”, then “Location Sharing”;
- In the window that opens, select the user who provided you with the Geo point;
- Start tracking this person’s phone!
Follow someone on Google Maps on computer
If you want to track a cell phone using Google Maps on your PC, you will need to perform almost the same actions:
- Open the Google Maps website in your browser;
- Click on the hamburger menu and choose “Location sharing” which will show you contacts on the map.
You probably remember that a prerequisite for tracking someone via app is sharing their location (and you yourself do not need to share this parameter), so follow these steps:
- Tap your account avatar and choose “Location sharing” in the pop-up menu;
- If this is the first time you’re sharing your location, then choose “Share location” on the “Stay connected” screen. Otherwise, select “New share”;
- Choose the person you want to share your location with and select the tracking period (or opt for the “until sharing is manually turned off” feature);
- Now, tap “Share”.
Track a cell phone number on Google map
Today, you can even locate a phone number on Google map without having to contact a mobile network provider. You can not only track someone’s location at a certain moment but also view their location history.
But keep in mind that their phone number must be registered with Google. So, how to track a cell phone number on Google map:
- Launch the app on your phone or tablet;
- Sign in to your Google account;
- Choose the contact number you want to track;
- Find the contact details at the bottom of the screen.
Find someone’s location on Google Maps with spy apps
Want to hear some serious tips on how to track someone using Google Maps without them knowing? Then you should try using modern spy apps!
Such apps run quietly and secretly in the background, and you can launch them remotely on someone else’s phone. They effectively collect location data, browser history, SMS, and media files sent via instant messengers, record keystrokes, calls, and the device’s surroundings, as well as provide other data.
mSpy
mSpy is the perfect legal solution for tracking your family members and business partners/employees.
Main features:
Simply choose a plan (Android/iOS device, Windows/Mac computer, or opt for the Bundle option for both types of devices at the same time). After payment, open the control center on the site and select the device you are going to connect, then follow the simple steps to configure the app.
uMobix
With the uMobix app, you can track calls, view contact lists, read text messages, track web history, access messaging apps, track GPS location, access photo galleries, and more.
How to use:
- To get started, create an account. For this:
- Visit the uMobix website;
- Click on the “Try now” button in the upper right corner;
- Enter your email address and password and click “Create an account”;
- After logging into your account, select the type of device you want to track and its operating system (tap “Android smartphone or tablet” or “iOS iPhone, iPad”).
FlexiSPY
The FlexiSPY application is designed for comprehensive analytics and monitoring of mobile devices. It offers over 150 basic and advanced features (many of which are unique), making it the perfect choice for device tracking.
How to use:
Before buying FlexiSPY, check the version of the OS on your mobile device. The application runs on iOS versions 9.2 and higher, as well as on Android versions 4.0.3–10.
Installation requires root rights or Jailbreak (you can ask the FlexiSPY service center to do it for you). After registering on the site and purchasing the application, you will receive an email with a step-by-step guide for installing it.
How to see someone else’s location history
If you want to track someone using Google Maps without them knowing, you can try viewing their location history. This is a feature in your Google account that saves details of all the places you visit and the routes you take to get there.
It works on any mobile device where you’re signed into your Google account and have location history turned on. The data collected by location history is viewable on Google Maps.
How to view this story in the app:
- Open the app;
- Tap on your profile picture on the main screen;
- Select “Your timeline”;
- Select the day for which you want to receive data — and you will see the places where the person you want to track was on that day and the duration of each of these trips.
How to stop tracking a person on Google Maps
If you decide you no longer need to see the tracked person’s location, simply ask them to stop sharing their location. Also, you can hide their data from yourself in Google Maps:
- Launch the app;
- Choose your account avatar, tap “Location sharing” in the pop-up menu;
- Tap the person you need to stop tracking in the shared contacts list;
- Tap the three dots at the right side of the screen and then tap “Hide [contact] from the map”.
Is it legal to track someone’s location on Google Maps?
If a person enables location tracking for you to track their position, doing this is legal. This way, you can track a friend, co-worker, or family member on Google Maps.
However, tracking is illegal if you secretly access someone else’s phone to enable this option (except in those cases when parents need to track the area where their children are, or someone wants to track their elderly parents).
FAQ
Can someone turn off their location without it notifying them?
Here are the best 4 tips that you can use to turn off location without anyone knowing:
- Turn on Airplane Mode;
- Turn off “Share My Location”;
- Stop Sharing Location on “Find My App” in iOS;
- Use “GPS Spoofer” to Change Location.
Can you see someone’s location if their phone is off?
- For Android: when the phone being tracked is turned off, you can still track it using Google Maps: click “Timeline” in the upper left tab and choose a search period. This only works if “Location History” and “Location Sharing” are enabled in the settings.
- For iPhone: using Apple’s “Latitude” feature, you can locate your lost phone, make a call, set it to “Lost Mode” (it blocks the phone and forbids using Apple Pay from it), and erase all data from the device. Also, you can send a message to the device with your contact details. But you can use this feature to track someone’s iPhone as well. All this is possible only after you first enable the “Find iPhone” and “Location” features in the settings.
Can you track someone on Google Maps with just their phone number?
Google Maps lets you track someone’s position on the map using just their phone number. For this, a person has to share this data with you.
Launch Google Maps, tap on your profile picture and select Location sharing. You will find the list of the people that share their map position with you at the bottom of the screen. If you see a map pinpoint icon next to the person’s name, this means that he or she has shared the position with you.
Now, just select the contact which you want to track using their phone number.
Following someone on Google Maps
To track someone else’s phone, you can effectively use a simple Google Maps app that uses the tracked phone’s GPS sensor.
So, if you are still asking yourself the question — can I track someone on Google Maps? — then, you should know that you definitely can do that, and get highly accurate tracking results. However, to do this, the location feature must be turned on. You can spy on both Android and iPhone devices from a mobile phone or computer.