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

2024 will be a year full of surprises, and many people are gearing up for the uncertainties ahead – especially regarding the people and things they love. As we approach the New Year, more people now want to know how to track a cell phone location without installing software to stay on top of things happening around them.

We’ve been down that dark tunnel of fear and doubt before and were hard-pressed to find the best solutions to fill us in with info about our loved ones. Today, we’ll be sharing those solutions with you.

So wipe that frown off your face, take a deep breath and sit back because we’re about to save you from a ton of research and disappointments by taking you straight to the solutions you’re looking for. 

In this guide, we’ll show you plenty of ways to track an Android phone or iOS device without installing software, each with its pros and cons.

Let’s get rolling! 

Can You Track a Cell Phone Without Installing Software? 

A short answer is yes, but a more detailed response is a little more complicated. You have a range of options for doing this, but their appropriateness will depend on your unique needs and skills.

For instance, someone who has steep technical skills and needs to track various aspects of their loved one’s lives could make do with techniques like phishing and man-in-the-middle interceptions. But those aren’t an ideal solution for stay-at-home moms who just want a location tracker to make sure their kids are in school.

Now, there are tracking solutions for those ready to splurge, as well as those without any budget.

Let’s start with the latter group.

Find Their Passwords on Their Phone

One free method to ping a cell phone without permission is checking the target phone for passwords.

To make it more convenient to manage multiple accounts on a phone, iPhones and Android phones have features that save all account credentials in one place. As such, you might be able to unlock your loved ones’ passwords by having a couple of minutes alone with their phone.

If you know their phone password, grab their phone secretly for a few seconds. If it’s an Android phone, go to Settings → Password Manager → select Google account → View passwords, then enter their phone code. For iPhones, open ‘Settings → Password → View Password.”

Sniffing (Man-In-The-Middle Attacks)

If you’re tech-savvy, you’re probably already familiar with man-in-the-middle attacks or sniffing in contexts like corporate settings. But whether that’s the case or not, let’s bring this technique back home, shall we?

This technique basically allows you to track information as they’re sent or received over your target’s Wi-Fi. You’d have to crack their Wi-Fi password and decrypt encrypted data, among other things. But there is sniffing software that allows you to automate everything.

However, there are no guarantees with this method of tracking a cell phone without access to it because there’s a whole bunch of variables and steps involved, and a simple mistake can ruin the entire operation. 

How Can I Track Someone’s Exact Location With Just Their Phone Number? 

phone number

For the stay-at-home moms we mentioned earlier and anyone else who needs easy ways to track their loved one’s whereabouts, the good news is that you can track someone’s exact location with just their phone number. No bogus software to install, nor complex steps like those in phishing or sniffing.

With North App, you can track a cell phone location without installing software on the target phone, just by keying in the target cell phone number on your dashboard. North App’s location updates are highly accurate, providing precise readings down to the exact address of a location.

In order to locate someone’s cell phone using North App all you need to do is:

  1. Create an account (nothing to download, just provide some personal details and desired payment plans), and then enter the target’s phone number on your user web dashboard.
  2. Send out the social engineering message to prompt your target to click on the tracking link. You can either craft a custom message you’re more certain they’ll respond to or use the platform’s proven templates.
  3. Once your target opens the message and clicks on the link, you’re automatically on to their location. You can then check up on their location on your dashboard with just a couple of clicks.

Can Someone Track Your Phone Without Access to It?

We can say that the North App technique above can also help you put a tracker on someone’s phone without any moment of physically handling it. However, that’s limited to only location tracking.

If you want to track a phone without access to it, targeting not only the location data but a host of other phone activities, you need to be very careful with any software or hacker that will promise you that. We believe that’s only possible with an iPhone, where you can access the phone’s iCloud backup via the web.

If your target’s iPhone has an active iCloud backup, and you can obtain their iCloud credentials, you can track their phone data remotely using your phone to access their iCloud backup.

With spy apps like mSpy, all you need to do is simply enter your target’s iCloud credentials on your user dashboard, and voilà! You’ll have unlimited access to their iCloud files.

If they back anything up on their iCloud account, you’re sure to find it on your user dashboard. mSpy can provide updates at any set interval, whether you want to get updated the moment any data is uploaded on their iCloud or want to check in once every few days. 

Spy Apps vs. Instant Location Tracker: Which One to Choose? 

For those considering between the North App and mSpy tracking options, let’s make a comparison of the two to help you move forward with the one that suits you best. We’ll examine how these two options go head-to-head in several parameters.

Tracking Phones With Phone Numbers

North App makes phone tracking as easy as inserting your target’s phone number on your user dashboard. Unlike spy apps, not only North App is compatible with just about any phone – so long as it has an active SIM on it – it also supports remote installation on any device.

Live Tracking

While North App only provides periodic updates of your target’s movements, spy apps like mSpy let you track location in real-time, alerting you the moment your target enters or exits a certain location. That means spy apps give you enough time to react timely to your target’s movements.

Installation Requirements

In most cases, you’ll have to install a spy app physically on your target phone, whereas North App only requires you to enter your target’s phone number. Some spy apps even go as far as requiring complex steps like rooting or jailbreaking the target phone to function properly.

Tracking Features

North App only offers location tracking, which is excellent if you don’t want all the bells and whistles of spyware and just want to ensure your loved ones don’t wander around places they’re not supposed to. But if you want a full investigation into someone’s profound behavioral changes, you’ll need the arsenal of tracking features that spy apps like mSpy offer.

With mSpy, you can enjoy not only GPS tracking but also tracking features for calls, texts, social media activities, browsing activity, multimedia library, and just about every other information on your target’s phone.

Geofencing

Whereas you always have to check in on your user dashboard to find out what your target has been up to with North App, spy apps have geofencing features that call your attention when your target makes a suspicious move.

Stealth Mode

Both spy apps and instant location trackers offer stealth operations. You can always keep your monitoring campaign under wraps. However, some spy apps give you the option of tracking openly in cases where you need to track someone with their consent. 

Free Methods of Phone Tracking 

To round up this guide, we’ll provide a rundown of some free cell phone trackers for those who don’t have any extra cash to flip on spy apps or instant location trackers. Here they are:

‘Find My’ Services

find my

Both Android and iPhones have proprietary tracking solutions designed to help phone owners track their lost or stolen phones. This can be a reliable free tracking tool if you can set it up properly.

On Android, the service is known as ‘Find My Device’ and is sometimes set up by default on an Android phone. If it isn’t already set up, open phone settings on the target phone and then go to ‘Google accounts → Find My Device,’ and then toggle the switch to turn on the feature.

After that, open your phone browser and go to android.com/find, and then enter your target’s Google account credentials. A notification will be sent to the target phone asking for permission to track the location. Accept the settings, and that’s it. You can then log into the Find My Device web portal to check up on your target whenever you want.

Similarly, on iPhones, you can activate the Find My iPhone feature on the target phone and then log into the iCloud web app on your device to track your target iPhone.

One major drawback of the Find My services is that they only give rough approximations of a phone’s location, and you can’t track a phone without them knowing since your target’s permission is required.

Google Maps

google maps

Another option for tracking Android phones is the Google Maps location sharing feature. Simply run Google Maps on the target phone, activate the location sharing feature, and enter your Google account as the account you want to share location with. After that, you can check up on them through your own Google Maps app.

However, this method also has a lot of limitations compared to other methods like spy apps. 

Conclusion

You don’t need to install software or run complex programs to keep track of your loved ones. We’ve shown you reliable ways to track them remotely without ever raising suspicions.

However, spy apps like mSpy combine all the techniques we’ve discussed above, enabling you to access their benefits without learning code or even breaking a sweat.