Privacy
How to Know if Someone Is Tracking Your Phone
Worried someone is tracking your location? Eight quick checks for Android and iPhone: shared locations, app permissions, unknown trackers and stalkerware.
By NextLocator Team Updated 4 minute read
Quick answer
Check who you're sharing your location with in Google Maps, Find My and any family app, then look at which apps have location access 'all the time'. Look for apps you don't recognise, and turn on unknown tracker alerts. If you find something and feel unsafe, get help before you remove it, because removing it can alert the other person.
Key takeaways
- Most tracking is location sharing someone forgot about. Check that first.
- Review every app with location access set to 'all the time'.
- Android and iPhone can both detect unknown Bluetooth trackers.
- If you are in danger, contact a helpline or the police before removing anything.
Signs someone might be tracking you
- Someone knows where you've been without you telling them.
- There's an app you don't recognise, often with a dull name like 'System Service'.
- Your battery suddenly drains much faster, with no new apps.
- Mobile data use jumps for no clear reason.
- Your phone was out of your hands, unlocked, for a while.
None of these prove anything on their own. A fast-draining battery is usually just an old battery. But if a few of them add up, it's worth checking.
8 checks to run
1. Google Maps location sharing
Open Google Maps, tap your profile picture, then Location sharing. Anyone listed can see you. Tap a name to stop sharing with them.
2. Find My and Safety Check (iPhone)
Open Find My and tap People. Anyone listed can see your location. On recent iPhones, Settings > Privacy & Security > Safety Check shows everything you share in one place, and can stop it all at once.
3. Family locator apps
Open each one and look at the circle members. In NextLocator, everyone in a circle sees everyone in it, so you'll know exactly who can see you. Leave any circle you didn't agree to.
4. Which apps can see your location
Android: Settings > Location > App location permissions. iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Look closely at anything set to Allow all the time or Always.
5. Apps you don't recognise
Go through your full app list, including system apps on Android. Search online for the name of anything unfamiliar.
6. Device admin and accessibility access (Android)
Stalkerware often hides here. Check Device admin apps under Security, and the Accessibility settings, for anything you didn't add. The exact menu names vary by phone brand.
7. Unknown Bluetooth trackers
Small trackers like AirTags can be slipped into a bag or a car. iPhones warn you about them automatically. On Android, go to Settings > Safety & emergency > Unknown tracker alerts and run a manual scan.
8. Your Google or Apple account
If someone knows your password, they may see your location from any computer. Check the list of signed-in devices, change your password and turn on two-step verification.
If you find something
If it's a family member or partner who simply forgot to stop sharing, talk to them and turn it off.
If you think someone is tracking you to control or harm you, go carefully. Removing an app or stopping sharing can tip them off. Talk to a helpline or the police first and make a plan. In Bangladesh, call 109, the national helpline for violence against women and children. In India, call 181. Elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
How honest location apps behave
A real family locator never hides. It shows up in your app list under its real name, asks for permissions openly, and shows everyone in a circle who can see them. NextLocator works this way: nobody joins a circle without its invite code, and you can leave at any time.
Red flag
If an app is sold as a way to track someone 'without them knowing', it's stalkerware. Don't install it, and check your own phone if someone else has had it.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone track my phone without me knowing?
Yes, if they set up location sharing on your phone, installed a hidden app, or know your Google or Apple password. The eight checks above cover each of these.
Does a factory reset remove tracking apps?
Yes, a factory reset removes installed apps, stalkerware included. Back up your photos first, and change your account passwords afterwards so the person can't get back in through your account.
Can someone track my location through WhatsApp?
Only if you shared your live location in a chat, and only until it ends. Check your chats and WhatsApp's privacy settings for any live location still running.
How do I stop someone tracking my location?
Stop location sharing in each app, remove location access from apps that don't need it, change your account passwords, and scan for unknown trackers.
