If you browse the Google Play Store, you’ll find tons of Android apps to track phone location. But even though there are many options, they aren’t all created equally. Many users complain about inaccurate tracking, battery drain, and lots more. This article aims to help you make an informed decision. We’ve also evaluated their pros and cons so you can choose the best location tracking app that meets your desires.
Why Location Tracking Matters in 2025?
Before you consider whether you want phone tracking apps for families or the best Android location tracker 2025 with enhanced features, you might wonder if it’s all necessary. The reality is that today’s massively digitally altered universe requires a tool to improve awareness. Specifically, here are the reasons you should get a location tracking tool:

- Lost device: Phone trackers help you never lose sight of your device virtually, allowing you to quickly recover your misplaced or stolen smartphone.
- Family safety: The best phone tracking apps can help ensure the safety of children and elderly family members in real time.
- Home security: You can integrate the best Android location tracker 2025 with home security systems to enhance protection and automate alerts.
- Employee management: Tracking solutions help optimize workforce management by tracking employee locations during work hours to improve efficiency and accountability.
- Emergencies: Many family locator apps include SOS alert buttons to help you respond swiftly and effectively during emergencies and be able to pinpoint your loved one’s exact location.
How We Tested & Selected the Android Apps to Track Phone Location
To put together this list, our selection process involved rigorous testing and analysis based on the following standards and data sources:
- Positioning accuracy: We want to bring you apps that can accurately pinpoint the device’s location in various environments. That way, you have an amazing locator app whether you live in an urban or rural area.
- Battery Consumption: Location tracking drains the battery of any mobile device. We measured the impact of each app, ensuring minimal drain while maintaining reliable tracking.
- Privacy Policy: We thoroughly reviewed each app’s privacy policy to ensure that user data is protected and handled responsibly.
- Google Play ratings: We analyzed user reviews and ratings from the Google Play Store to ensure an unbiased perspective on how the apps satisfy users. We also highlight the potential issues to expect.
- Cross-device compatibility: While you want an Android app, we also reviewed how the apps work on diverse Android OS versions alongside other operating systems to ensure consistent performance.
- Independent Laboratory reports: We also consulted independent laboratory reports to verify the accuracy and reliability of the app’s location tracking capabilities.
Top 10 Android Apps for Phone Location Tracking 2025
Below, we dive into the best Android apps to track phone location by exploring both free and paid options that are available to you.
Google Family Link
Google Family Link is an amazing Android app that helps you manage how your kids spend time on their devices. Specifically, it isn’t meant to track their physical location. But you can manage their privacy, set ground rules for downtime, and screen time limits on the Android apps on their phone.

✨Pros
- Suitable for round-the-clock monitoring of internet behavior.
- Monitor the battery life on your child’s phone.
- Free parental controls and screen time management.
❌Cons
- It does not support granular monitoring within social media apps.
- Can’t monitor Google accounts for kids over 13 years.
- Aside from general screen time, the app only monitors Google app usage.
- Only works with Android devices. Although it’s possible to use Google Family Link on iPhone, it has limited features on iOS systems.
- Users complain that kids can bypass the parental controls
- There’s no dedicated customer support from Google.
💰Pricing: Free.
Google Find My Device
Google Find My Device is your built-in location tracking app. You can also use this to create a mini-circle with your family and friends to keep track of each other’s whereabouts. What makes this stand out is your ability to control where and how you share your location with others.

✨Pros
- Designed specifically to help locate your lost device.
- You can remotely erase or lock any devices directly connected to your Google account.
- Google Find can be integrated with Google Family Link for your child’s Android phone.
- Still great for finding offline devices based on their last known location.
❌Cons
- Requires a Google account.
- The accuracy of location tracking can sometimes be spotty.
- Limited in terms of location history.
💰Pricing: Free
Where’s My Droid
Where’s My Droid is one of the best location tracking apps for Android. Specifically, it’s designed to help you make your phone ring and vibrate. You’ll especially love how it also gives you the ability to wipe your smartphone’s storage and data, protect passwords, and prevent unauthorized app changes.

✨Pros
- Where’s My Droid uses GPS technology primarily to locate lost devices
- Allows you to use all sorts of alerts, including sound and flashing light to find it when it’s nearby.
- Where’s My Droid will send an alert to the phone’s last known location when the device is on low power.
- The app can access the last known location of your device even if it’s now offline.
❌Cons
- Location data can sometimes be inaccurate if the device is located in a remote area.
- May not find the device if it’s not online and location services have been turned off.
💰Pricing: Free app, paid plans start from 0.99 per month.
Life360
When you want a family and safety location sharing app that offers comprehensive monitoring, this might be the answer. Life360 offers a variety of features, including up to 30 days of location history, unlimited place alerts, location sharing, SOS alerts, and lots more.

✨Pros
- Life360 allows you to coordinate family activities and schedules.
- It’s fantastic for emergency alerts and responses.
- It’s a great app to monitor the vehicles your family uses to promote better driving habits.
❌Cons
- The app can be too intrusive, creating potential for excessive tracking.
- Life360 has been criticized recently for selling user data to data brokers, creating privacy and security issues.
- The app drains your phone’s battery and is very sluggish at times.
💰Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans begin from $14.99 per month.
FindMyKids
FindmyKids is designed to keep track of your children’s whereabouts. You’ll get instant updates when they are where you need them. And you can keep an eye on them when they are passing through unsafe places. You can also check their location history and enjoy audio and video calls for all-around connection.

✨Pros
- Has a free plan for 1 day of location history and accessing your child’s current location at any time.
- Access details on their app and internet browsing habits.
- Able to call your child even when their phone is on silent mode.
❌Cons
- Requires purchasing the FindMyKids GPS watch to use all of its features effectively.
- There are situations where the GPS tracking may not be accurate.
- Very complicated to use.
💰Pricing: Free plan available; premium plans start from $6.99 monthly.
Glympse
Glympse is a cost-effective monitoring solution designed for workplaces. In terms of apps, Glympse also provides a location-sharing app that can be used not only by workplaces but individuals as well. So, you can download it on your phone and those of your kids. With that, you could request and share your location with your family, determining when and for how long.

✨Pros
- Designed for increased visibility in the workplace.
- A location-tracking app for both personal and business needs.
- Temporarily share your location and receive location insights from your loved ones at any time.
- The Glympse mobile app is free and works on both Android and IOS apps.
❌Cons
- When a mobile app is used alongside the Glympse complete monitoring solution, it creates opportunities for employers to micro-manage or become excessively controlling.
- Glympse only relies on GPS which can be inaccurate or unavailable in certain places.
- Location sharing would drain your phone’s battery.
💰Pricing: Free personal tracking mobile app. Glympse Pro starts from $15 per user per month.
Family360
Family360 allows you to create Family circles where you and your loved ones can see each other’s location in real time. It’s excellent at helping you stay connected while enjoying smart notifications when your family goes in and out of certain places.

✨Pros
- Suitable for keeping track of your loved one’s location in real time.
- Enjoy real-time alerts when Circle Members leave or arrive at designations.
- Keep track of lost or stolen phones.
- Access location history for detailed trips and stays.
- SOS button to access notifications in case of emergencies.
❌Cons
- Often, Family360 can stop updating locations abruptly.
- No free version; you must pay to access its features.
- The Family360 Locator app can cause battery drain.
💰Pricing: Plans begin from $5.49 per month to track up to 5 devices.
Geo Tracker
When going out for hikes or other outdoor activities, you might benefit from an app that allows you to track your own location. Geo Tracker serves as your own diary for recording and analyzing everywhere you visit, including your traveling speed, location, and distance traveled.

✨Pros
- GeoTracker lets you know your precise location with pinpoint accuracy.
- Designed for hiking, road trips, and daily navigation.
- GeoTracker minimizes impact on your smartphone’s battery.
- Offers a variety of map systems to accommodate your navigational preferences.
❌Cons
- You can only share a map of the routes you’ve taken with your friends.
- Geo Tracker can drain your phone’s battery relatively fast.
- Geo Tracker does not allow real-time location with your friends and family.
💰Pricing: Free plan available; premium plans begin from $19.99 per month.
Live Mobile Location Tracker
Live Mobile Location Tracker is also one of the best Android apps to track phone location. Specifically, it’s a phone locating tracker that tracks all your current locations, finds nearby landmarks, and ensures you can revisit your location history in the future.

✨Pros
- Suitable for keeping track of your whereabouts.
- Might benefit from being able to find fantastic places or landmarks near your location in real-time.
❌Cons
- Sometimes, the app stops working and provides inaccurate information.
💰Pricing: Free app with ads.
FamiSafe
FamiSafe Wondershare app provides a comprehensive digital parenting assistant that keeps track of your children’s physical location, alongside their device app and internet use. It also allows you to filter their web access and monitor your children’s calls and messages.

✨Pros
- FamiSafe works on all kinds of operating systems across mobile and desktop devices.
- Set up keywords for calls and texts to ensure safety.
- Access activity reports, uninstallation protection, and monitoring YouTube and TikTok, among other parental control features.
❌Cons
- Social media monitoring is limited with no access to chat apps.
- Call or text monitoring is limited compared to other parental control apps.
💰Pricing: Free trial available, paid plans begin from $4.99 per month.
A Comparison Table of Android Apps to Track Phone Location
Location-tracking app | Price | Real-time tracking | Location accuracy | Historical routes Historical routes | Multi-device management | Ads Frequency | Best for |
Google Family Link | Free | Yes | Medium | Yes | Yes | None | Parental monitoring |
Google Find My Device | Free | Yes | High | No | Yes | None | Recovering lost device. |
Where’s My Droid | Free/Pro begins from | Yes | High | Yes | Yes | Low | Anti-theft alert and detection |
Life360 | Free/Pro begins from | Yes | High | Yes | Yes | Low | Family connectivity |
Find My Kids | subscription | Yes | High | Yes | Yes | Medium | Parental Monitoring |
Glympse | Free, Pro begins from | Yes, temporary tracking | High | No | Yes | Low | Temporary tracking |
Family360 Locator | Free/Pro plans begin from | Yes | High | Yes | Yes | Low | Family connectivity |
Geotracker | Free | Yes | Medium | Yes | No | Low | Solo route tracking |
Live Mobile Location | Free | Yes | Low | No | No | High | Simple Phone tracking |
FamiSafe | Free, starts from | Yes | High | Yes | Yes | None | Comprehensive parental control |
FAQ
Can I track a phone without physical access?
Yes, you can track a phone without physical access to it using Android apps to track phone location. Often, these Android apps require that the target device have location services enabled. They must also be connected to the internet. Sometimes, they might require location apps to be installed on them.
Is it legal to track someone’s location using an app?
The legality of tracking someone’s location depends on the relationship between the tracker and the tracked individual and the purpose of tracking. Generally, you can track your children who are under 18 years, alongside tracking your own devices. For an adult, you can only track with their consent. Without consent, tracking is illegal and will have penalties.
How to track phone location without downloading an app?
If you don’t want to download an app, you can use MLocator, a web-based online phone tracking solution. Simply visit the MLocator website, enter the phone number you wish to track, and initiate the tracking process. Our system combines GPS, Wi-Fi signals, and cell tower data around the target phone to detect its approximate location on a map. Try MLocator today!
How to track family members’ location on Android?
On Android, you can track your family members’ locations by using family location sharing apps like Google Find My app, Google Family Link, Life360, or FamiSafe. These apps allow you to create a private group where family members can see each other’s whereabouts in real time.
Which app is best for live location tracking?
The best Android apps to track phone location depend on your specific needs. If you want your entire family to have access to each other’s live location, then apps like FamiSafe and Life360 are suitable. For kids alone, FindMyKids is perfect. For individuals, Glympse offers a simple way to share your location temporarily with one another.
How to track elderly parents’ Android phones?
To track an elderly parent’s phone, you can use apps like Google Family Link, Life360, or Find My Kids. Glympse is also a great option for elderly parents who want to control when and how they share their location. That said, these apps offer features like location alerts, SOS buttons, and geofencing to ensure the safety and well-being of elderly parents.
Wrap Up
Undoubtedly, our list is a gold mine of Android apps to track phone location. You’ll also love that many of these apps also have apps for IOS devices, thereby making it easier to keep track of your family without limitations. And when all else fails, you can always try our fantastic online phone locator. MLocator is a straightforward, no-frills tracker that helps you locate your loved ones with impeccable accuracy.