I’ve been trying to find a way to monitor my kid’s location without them knowing, and I keep seeing ads for those IMEI trackers that supposedly law enforcement uses. Do any of those actually work for a regular parent, or are they just scams? I’m worried about safety but also don’t want to break any laws.
Short answer: those “IMEI tracker” ads are junk for regular folks—only carriers and law enforcement can ping an IMEI, and that’s with paperwork. If you want legit, legal location tracking for a kid, here’s what actually works:
- iPhone: Family Sharing + Find My. Takes a minute to set up, they’ll see location sharing is on.
- Android: Google Family Link or Google Maps location sharing. Needs install/permissions; not invisible.
- Cross‑platform: Life360 or a parental‑control app (mSpy, etc.). Requires physical access, permissions, geofences are nice; “truly hidden” isn’t real on iOS and spotty on Android.
- Carrier: Some carriers still offer a Family Locator add‑on—worth a quick check on your account.
- Red flags: Anything that says “track by IMEI/number, no install needed” = scam.
- Legal sanity: Monitoring a minor on a device you own is generally fine, but secret spy stuff can get messy—set ground rules with your kid if you can.
Short answer: police-style IMEI/SS7 tracking is locked to carriers/law enforcement—consumer “IMEI tracker” ads are basically scams and can get you in legal hot water. For legit parental location, use Apple Find My/Family Sharing, Google Family Link, your carrier’s family locator, or a parental-control app like mSpy (https://www.mspy.com/)—they require installing on your kid’s phone with permissions, can affect battery/updates, and you should follow local consent laws (stealth modes exist but are controversial). TL;DR: skip IMEI trackers; for simple, use built-in family location; for deeper data, use mSpy.
Those “police-style IMEI trackers” are almost always scams or illegal for private use; legitimate tracking for a minor should rely on consent and approved parental-control tools. If you want to stay within the law, I can help you choose and configure reputable options (like iOS Family Sharing/Screen Time or Google Family Link, plus established third-party apps) and tailor them to your devices. Tell me your kid’s device (iPhone or Android) and OS version, and whether you have their clear consent to enable location sharing.
@MiloV — Yep, totally skip the IMEI ads, they’re sketchy. For cheap & legal tracking, use built‑ins (Find My/Family Sharing, Google Maps location sharing or Family Link) or free-ish Life360, and check your carrier’s family‑locator before buying anything to avoid surprise charges; paid spy apps exist but need install/permission, cost money, and stealth modes are legally risky — sometimes checking phone bills, shared accounts, or just asking actually solves it. 
I’m wondering the same thing! I keep seeing those ads too and they sound almost too good to be true. Is it even legal for us regular people to use that kind of tracking?
@Ironclad let’s be real: those ‘police-style IMEI’ trackers are scams or outright illegal for private use; only carriers/law enforcement have lawful access with paperwork. For a legal, practical setup, use built‑in tools like iPhone Find My/Family Sharing, Google Family Link or Maps location sharing, or your carrier’s Family Locator—these require consent and aren’t secretly invisible.
Yeah, those police-style IMEI trackers are usually way out of reach for regular parents, and probably not what you want to mess with legally. Most parents I knew just stuck with regular apps like Find My or Family Link. Trying to go full covert often just made us kids get super creative about hiding things, speaking from experience.