How to Track a Cell Phone Without Them Knowing for Free 

Let me break it down: you’re wondering how you can track a cell phone — that too, without your partner knowing. On top of that, you’re looking for a free-of-cost solution that you won’t have to install on the target phone. 

So, how to track a cell phone without them knowing for free? That we’ll find out today. 

For instance, this guide will walk you through the most effective ways to GPS a cell phone without them knowing for free. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to determine your partner’s real-time GPS location without them getting notified about it. 

That being said, let’s dive in. 

How Can I Track a Cell Phone Location Without Installing Software on the Target Phone?

The best way to track a cell phone location secretly, without even installing a tracker on the target phone, is by using a spying app. 

However, to make sure you don’t have to access the target phone, you’ll have to go for a spying app that offers remote installation. 

The point to note is, remote installation is only available for iPhone devices. For Android phones, you still have to access the target phone. 

But, don’t worry. You won’t have to borrow the target device for long. If you do things right, 10-15 minutes is all it takes. 

Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to track a cell phone location for both Android and iPhones. 

How to Track a Cell Phone Location (Android)

The best way to track a cell phone location without them knowing on Android is mSpy. It’s a powerful spying app that lets you monitor your partner’s smartphone activities without them knowing. 

mSpy — Best App to Track an Android Cell Phone

mSpy is a highly competitive spying app that dominates the spy apps market with its powerful features. 

That’s how it has grown to 1.5 million worldwide customers across 190 countries. Moreover, the app has been in business for over 12 years. 

What sets mSpy apart from the competitors is its offering of a 7-day free trial. So, yes, mSpy is your best bet to track a phone without them knowing for free. 

The free trial of mSpy still throws in the essential cell tracking features, including GPS location tracking. 

Another cornerstone of mSpy is its hidden monitoring feature — making mSpy the best app to track a cell phone without them knowing. 

The app presents itself as an “Update Service” app and works in the phone background, without the antivirus apps and the user noticing. 

Installing mSpy (Android)

You’ll have to borrow your partner’s Android phone for 10-15 minutes to install mSpy. In some cases, it can take longer to get the target phone ready for installation — so be prepared for that. 

Requirements

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

Step 1: Get a Subscription Plan

The first step is to create an account at mSpy and get a valid plan. 

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

2. Input a valid email, tick the checkbox, and click “Try Now”.

3. Select Android.

4. Pick a mSpy Android plan.

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

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

Step 2: Disable Play Protect

In this step, we prepare the target phone for mSpy installation by disabling Play Protect of the Google Play Store. 

It’s a security feature that runs safety checks on apps before installation and may remove the apps that it finds harmful. Disabling it helps to make sure it doesn’t interrupt mSpy’s installation. 

1. On the target phone, 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

To make sure the target device doesn’t consistently show up notifications regarding disabled Play Protect, block out Play Store notifications. 

1. Open the Settings app on the target phone. 

2. Go to App Settings.

3. Find and tap Google Play Store. 

4. Set notifications to Off.

Step 4: Download & Install mSpy

1. Open Google Chrome browser on the target Android.
2. Enter the mSpy downloading address (from the confirmation email) and tap Go. 
3. Pass the captcha that comes up and tap “Download” to download the app. 
4. Tap “Open” once the downloading is complete.
5. Toggle “Allow from this source” to “On” when the popup comes up. 
6. Remember, mSpy presents itself as an Update Service. Install it once it’s opened. 
7. Once installed, open the app. 

Step 5: Configure mSpy

Configuring mSpy on the target phone doesn’t have to be hard. You basically have to provide mSpy with the permissions it asks for. 

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

Note: Providing mSpy with these permissions is important to track the target phone thoroughly. However, if you only want to track the location, you can get away with the location permission only. 

Step 6: Start Tracking!

1. Sign in to your mSpy dashboard using the login link provided in the welcome email. 
2. Verify the target device to link it to your mSpy dashboard. 
3. That’s it. You can now track the phone without them knowing. 

How to Track a Cell Phone Location Without Installing Software (iPhone)

Are you looking forward to tracking a cell phone location without installing software? 

If you want to monitor an iPhone, you’re in luck. It’s because the app we recommend for iPhone tracking — SpyBubble — offers remote installation for iPhone smartphones. 

SpyBubble Pro— Best App to Track a Cell Phone

SpyBubble Pro is yet another competitive cell phone tracker that holds over a decade of expertise. Moreover, the app throws in a wide range of phone tracking features. 

Why our review experts recommend SpyBubble Pro the most is because many of its features are iOS-exclusive. We’ve experienced that SpyBubble Pro fits best the users willing to track an iPhone without them knowing. 

The app offers easy location monitoring of the target device. There’s a convenient map overview that lets you view your partner’s real-time location as well as the location history (with timestamps). 

Although SpyBubble doesn’t offer a free trial (unlike mSpy), it throws in a 14-day money-back guarantee. So you can claim a refund if you don’t like what SpyBubble offers. 

Installing SpyBubble Pro (iPhone)

Installing SpyBubble on iPhone is different from installing a spying app on Android. 

First of all, the installation is remote — so you don’t have to access the target phone (in most cases). Secondly, it requires you to have the iCloud credentials of the target iPhone user. 

This way, the installation overall is simpler and faster.

Requirements

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

Step 1: Get a Subscription Plan

1. Go to SpyBubble’s website and click ‘Try Now”.

2. Input a valid email address.

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

4. Select the “iPhone” as the target device to be monitored.

5. Choose a plan according to your needs and tap “Try Now”.

6. Pay for the subscription.

Step 2: Input iCloud Credentials

1. You’ll receive a welcome email once the subscription is confirmed. It might have a link to the SpyBubble dashboard. Use it to sign in to your admin area. 
2. Input the iCloud credentials of the target iPhone device. 
3. Once it’s verified, do the final configurations. 

Step 3: Start Tracking!

That’s all. 

You can now track the target device from your SpyBubble dashboard, without them knowing. 

How to Track a Cell Phone Location Without Them Knowing for Free (Android)

Are you willing to track an Android phone? Do you want to track your partner’s cell phone location for free? 

If the answer is yes, you’re in luck.

Using Find My Device from Google is an effective way to determine an Android phone’s real-time location. Plus, it doesn’t require any technical knowledge.  

1. Visit the following address and log into your Google Account. 

2. Select the target device whose location you want to track. 

Note: It will issue a notification to the target phone and the target user might know they’re being tracked (see the image below, for example).

3. Track the phone without them knowing, with a convenient map overview.

Note: The location is generally not 100% accurate but you’ll know where your partner is, right now. If their cell phone location is unattainable, the app will still let you know its last known location along with a timestamp. 

How to Track a Cell Phone Location Without Them Knowing for Free (iPhone)

Find My iPhone is an alternative to Find My Device, for iPhones. You can use it to track an iPhone’s location for free, without the technical knowledge required. 

The app comes from Apple and lets you track a range of Apple devices that run off an iCloud account — iPad, iPod, AirPods, Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch, and whatnot?

However, to use Find My iPhone to track an iPhone, the target device has to be connected to your iCloud account. Or, you might need iCloud credentials of the target device to track its location. 

That being said, here are the steps to follow:

1. Visit the following address.

2. Sign in to your Apple account

3. Click the drop-down menu on the top and select the device you want to track. 

4. That’s it — you’ll now be able to track the phone location without them knowing. 

However, if you can’t seem to access Find My iPhone on iCloud, here’s what the reason could be:

• Find My iPhone is disabled in the settings
• iCloud is not downloaded on the phone

The first reason tends to be common. So, here’s how to enable Find My iPhone in settings to track a phone without them knowing.

How to Enable Find My iPhone to Track an iPhone Without Them Knowing

Follow the steps below to enable Find My iPhone:

1. Open Settings on the iPhone.

2. Look out for the “Find My iPhone” settings under Apple ID and tap on it. 

3. Tap 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 Put a Tracker on a Phone

The best way to put a tracker on a cell phone is using spyware software like mSpy (for Android) or SpyBubble Pro (for iPhone). Follow the steps below to put mSpy on the target phone. 

1. Create a mSpy create an account and pick a subscription plan.
2. Log in to your mSpy control panel.
3. Get physical access to the target device. 
4. Download and install mSpy on the target phone. 
5. Start tracking with mSpy!

How to Track a Cell Phone Number Location Without Them Knowing for Free

If you want to track a cell phone number location for free, use Find My Device (for Android tracking) or Find My iPhone (for iPhone tracking). 

Both are free options but come with limited capabilities. On top of all, these are not secretive — your partner might know you’re tracking them. 

How to Track a Cell Phone Location Without Installing Software on Target Phone

Tracking a cell phone location without installing the software on the target phone is only possible for iPhones. The method requires iCloud credentials of the target user. The app we recommend for effective iPhone location tracking is SpyBubble. 

Key Takeaways

• The best way to track a phone without them knowing is by using a spying app. 
• If you want to track an Android device, use mSpy. It’s a trustable spying app that also offers a 7-day free trial for free-of-cost phone tracking. 
• If you want to track an iPhone, use SpyBubble. It’s also an authoritative app and throws in a 14-day money-back guarantee with its plans. 
• The free ways to track a phone location without them knowing are Find My Device (for Android) and Find My iPhone (for iPhone). But, your partner might know you’re tracking them if you use one of these.