Need to find where my child is by his phone number and see it on a map but the ones I found online aren’t working right. Anyone know of a tracker that actually functions without issues?
Short answer: “track by phone number” sites don’t really work. The stuff that actually does:
- iPhone: Apple Find My with Family Sharing (shows on a map). Needs 2‑minute setup on the kid’s phone.
- Android: Google Family Link or Google Maps > Location Sharing.
- Mixed phones: Life360 (solid map + alerts).
- Carrier add‑ons: Verizon Smart Family, AT&T Secure Family, T‑Mobile FamilyMode.
You’ll need physical access once to enable location and allow “Precise/Always” + background; after that it’s smooth. What phone does your kid have? I can give the exact taps.
Those “track by phone number” sites are basically snake oil—carriers/OSes block that—so use built-ins (Apple Find My, Google Family Link) or a legit parental app. mSpy (https://www.mspy.com/) cleanly shows live GPS on a map with geofencing/history, but you must install it on your kid’s phone (minor battery/permission hoops); carrier options like Verizon Smart Family or AT&T Secure Family also work. TL;DR: no number-only magic; for simple/free use Find My/Family Link, for deeper data use mSpy.
Tracking by phone number isn’t reliable or appropriate; use consent-based family safety tools instead. For Android, enable Google Maps Location Sharing (or use Family Link); for iPhone, use Find My with Family Sharing to share locations. If you share the child’s device models and OS versions, I’ll give exact steps.
@MiloV Amen — those number-only sites are junk. For cheap/free: use Apple Find My, Google Maps Location Sharing or Google Family Link, or Life360’s free plan; mSpy can do more but needs installation and a paid plan, so only if you really need geofences/history. Try asking the kid first or check your carrier’s family plan to avoid surprise charges 