How to Put a Tracker on a Phone [Android & iPhone]

Let’s get it out there: you want to put a GPS tracker on your partner’s smartphone to make sure they’re not stabbing you in the back. So, how to put a GPS tracker on a phone? That we’ll find out today. 

For instance, this guide will take you through step-by-step instructions on the different ways to track the location of a smartphone. By the end, you’ll have a clear solution for tracking your partner’s device. 

With that said, let’s dive in. 

How to Put a GPS Tracker on a Phone (Android) 

If you want to put an accurate tracker on your partner’s phone without them knowing, a GPS tracking app like mSpy is your best bet. It’s a partner spying app that lets you monitor your spouse’s real-time location accurately. 

Furthermore, mSpy offers a convenient map overview for location tracking, like other GPS trackers. Its GPS tracker also breaks down the device’s location history with timestamps. 

mSpy — Best App to Track an Android Phone

mSpy is a partner spying app that has been around for over 12 years. It holds 1.5 million customers around the globe — most of which are people trying to catch their cheating partners. 

Leading mSpy to this guide is its 7-day free trial that lets you test its services before making a purchase. 

The reason these spying apps are our preference, compared to free GPS trackers like Find My Device, is because these offer secret tracking without your partner knowing. 

Other than that, these apps offer far better phone tracking capabilities for your convenience. 

That said, we recommend mSpy, especially for Android phones. Here’s an overview of mSpy’s advantages and downsides. 

How to Install mSpy on Android

Installing mSpy on an Android phone can over 10-15 minutes. You’ll need physical access to the target phone to install mSpy. Furthermore, rooting the target phone is not required to install mSpy. 

Requirements

• A valid mSpy Android subscription
• Access to the target phone

Step 1: Get a mSpy Subscription 

Start by creating a mSpy account and signing up for a subscription (you can also go for the free trial). 

1. Open mSpy’s website and click “Try Now”. 

2. Enter your email address and click “Try Now”.

3. Select Android as the target device to be monitored. 

4. Pick a mSpy Android plan. 

5. When you complete the purchase, you’ll receive a welcome email that contains:

• Installation instructions.
• Your dashboard login link.
• Registration code.

Step 2: Disable Play Protect

Disabling Play Protect on the target Android phone is essential for mSpy installation. If you skip this step, Play Protect would interrupt the mSpy installation — resulting in blocking mSpy.

1. On the target Android, open the Play Store.

2. Tap the profile icon on the top right corner. 

3. Tap Play Protect.

4. Tap the gear icon on the top right corner. 

5. Disable both options you see. 

• Scan apps with Play Protect — Disabled
• Improve harmful app detection — Disabled

Step 3: Block Play Store Notifications

Disabling Play Store notifications is important to make sure the target device doesn’t get a constant alert regarding disabled Play Protect. 

1. Open the Settings app on target Android. 

2. Open App Settings.

3. Find and tap Google Play Store. 

4. Block out all notifications.

Step 4: Download & Install mSpy

1. Open a web browser on the target Android.
2. Enter the mSpy downloading address and tap Go. 
3. Solve the captcha that comes up & tap “Download” to start mSpy downloading. 
4. Once the downloading is complete, tap “Open”.
5. Toggle “Allow from this source” to “On” if you see the popup. 
6. mSpy presents itself as an Update Service. Install it once the app is opened. 
7. Once installed, open the app from the homepage of the device. 

Step 5: Configure mSpy

Configuring mSpy on the target phone is easy. Simply provide mSpy with all the permissions it requires. If you only want to monitor the GPS location of the target phone, you can provide the location permission only. 

1. Open mSpy on the target phone.
2. Accept mSpy’s terms and conditions. 
3. Allow it to access the device location, call logs, contacts, microphone, and everything else it asks for. 
4. Tick the checkbox “Hide mSpy icon” (it ensures hidden phone tracking). 
5. Enter the registration code. 
6. Lastly, tap “Complete Installation”. 

Step 6: Start Tracking!

1. Sign in to your mSpy dashboard. 
2. Verify the target device. 
3. That’s it. You’ve now put a tracker on the phone without them knowing. 

How to Put a GPS Tracker on a Phone (iPhone)

The best way to put a GPS tracker on an iPhone is again, a hidden GPS tracker like SpyBubble. Due to its iOS-exclusive GPS tracking features, our review experts prefer it for iPhone tracking. 

Like mSpy, SpyBubble’s GPS tracker is versatile and lets you keep an eye on your partner’s GPS location, location history, and a lot more. 

SpyBubble Pro — Best App to Track an iPhone

SpyBubble Pro is yet another authoritative spying app for partners. 

It’s primarily defined for its compatibility with iPhones, iOS-exclusive phone tracking features, and its optimization for secret cell monitoring — making sure your partner doesn’t know you’ve put a tracker on their phone. 

Unfortunately, SpyBubble Pro doesn’t offer a free trial like mSpy. However, it throws in a 14-day money-back guarantee to help you fearlessly test its services. 

Furthermore, as a comprehensive phone monitoring app, SpyBubble Pro offers over 41 tracking features. These include keystroke monitoring, call logging, SMS spy, social media tracking, and what not?

Here’s an overview of SpyBubble Pro’s key features and downsides.

How to Install SpyBubble Pro on an iPhone

Installing SpyBubble on iPhone is pretty straightforward, with no access to the target phone required. 

Requirements

• A valid SpyBubble iPhone subscription
• iCloud credentials of the target phone

Step 1: Get a Subscription Plan

1. Head over to SpyBubble Pro and click ‘Try Now”.

2. Input your email address.

3. Tick the checkbox and tap “Create account”.

4. Select “iPhone”. 

5. Choose a SpyBubble subscription and tap “Try Now”.

6. Pay for the subscription. 

Step 2: Input iCloud Credentials of the Target Device

1. Sign in to your SpyBubble dashboard. 
2. Enter the iCloud credentials of the target iPhone. 
3. Once the account is verified, complete the configuration (it’s straightforward). 

Step 3: Start Tracking!

That’s it — you’ve successfully put a tracker on iPhone without touching the phone. 

How to Use Find My Device to Put a GPS Tracker on Android for FREE 

Find My Device is a GPS tracking service from Google, designated to Android users. The service is designed for Android users to:

• Prevent data loss if the users lose their device (you can back it up using Find My Device)
• Track the device if lost or stolen.

But of course, you can also use Find My Device to use your partner’s GPS location. First, you’ll have to enable Find My Device on your partner’s phone. Then, you can use this service to track their phone. 

How to Enable Find My Device on an Android

Here’s how to enable Find My Device on an Android device:

1. Open Settings. 

2. Find and tap on Google. 

3. Scroll down and tap “Find My Device”.

4. Toggle it to “On” if not already. 

5. Make sure you add and select YOUR Google account before turning it on. 

6. That’s it. Find My Device will be enabled on your partner’s phone.

Once you’ve enabled it on your partner’s phone, you can now use Find My Device to track their phone location. 

How to Use Find My Device to Track an Android

Follow the steps below to use Find My Device to track an Android:

1. Visit the following address on your phone. 

2. Log into your Google Account. 

3. Select your partner’s device from the devices that it lists down. 

4. That’s it. You can now track their phone location with Find My Device. 

However, note that:

• They’ll be notified they’re being tracked through Find My Device (see the image below, for example). 

• The location is not 100% accurate in most cases. 
• If the phone cannot be reached, Find My Device will show you its last available location. 

How to Use Find My to Put a GPS Tracker on iPhone for FREE

Find My is a service from Apple, for iPhone users. 

You can also use it to track an iPad, iPod, a Mac, an Apple Watch, and so on. It’s pretty similar to Google Find My Device for Android and requires you to enable it on the target phone first. 

How to Enable Find My on iPhone

Here’s how you can enable Find My on your partner’s iPhone to put a tracker on their phone:

1. Open Settings on the target iPhone.

2. Search for “Find My iPhone” settings under Apple ID. 

3. Tap on “Find My iPhone” and navigate to the “Find My iPhone” tab. 

4. Toggle all the options to On. So, that:

• Find My iPhone — Enabled
• Enable Offline Finding — Enabled
• Send Last Location — Enabled

How to Use Find My to Track an iPhone

Note that tracking your partner’s iPhone with Find My will require you to have their iCloud credentials. 

If you have them, follow these steps to Use Find My to track their phone:

1. Visit the following address:

2. Sign in to your partner’s Apple account.

3. Tap the drop-down menu you see on the top. 

4. Select the device you want to track the GPS location of. 

5. That’s all. You can now track your partner’s location without them knowing. you’ll now be able to track the phone location without them knowing. 

Note: It won’t work unless you’ve enabled Find My on your partner’s iPhone (refer to the instructions above, for that.)

What Is the Most Accurate GPS Tracking App?

The most accurate GPS tracking app is definitely mSpy. It lets you track the accurate location of the target phone without the target user knowing. Furthermore, it also offers a free trial that you can use to put a GPS tracker on a phone for free. 

When it comes to installation, mSpy isn’t hard to install. Here are the main steps you have to follow:

1. Create a mSpy account and pick a subscription plan. 
2. Prepare the target device for installation. 
3. Download & install mSpy on the target phone. 
4. Lastly, hide mSpy’s icon. 
5. Start monitoring with mSpy!

Can I Trace a Phone if Mobile Data Is Turned off on That Particular Device?

Unfortunately, you cannot track a cell phone location if it’s not connected to the internet. This is because the internet is almost the only source of communication your smartphone has, with the web. 

However, you can alternatively use an IMEI tracker and see if it helps to locate your phone. Also, using GPS location trackers might let you know the last site of the device. 

Can I Track a Cell Phone That Is Turned Off?

A switched-off cell phone is hard to track because it has lost communication with a nearby SIM tower. 

However, using a GPS tracker app would help to find the last location where it was switched on and connected to the internet. You could call your service provider for that or use a GPS tracker like mSpy. 

Key Takeaways

How to put a GPS tracker on a phone? Here are the takeaways:

• The best way to put a tracker on a phone is by using a GPS tracker app (we recommend mSpy for Android and SpyBubble Pro for iPhone). 
• mSpy lets you conveniently track an Android phone without the target user knowing. However, installing it requires you to accommodate one-time access to the target phone.
• SpyBubble Pro best fits iPhone devices for GPS tracking and offers remote iPhone installation. However, it requires iCloud credentials of the target device. 
• You can also use a free solution for GPS tracking, like Find My Device for Android, and Find My for iPhone. But, they’re not hidden and notify the target user they’re being located.