hand with map and location pins

If you have concerns about where a family member or friend is spending their time, you may be wondering if it is possible to install an app to find people without them knowing about it. However, this topic can be controversial, and it’s always important to pay attention to state rules and be aware of your safety online when considering methods to find someone without them knowing about it. Our article tells you all you need to know about apps to people without them knowing and what is potentially legal or illegal about these apps.

Is It Legal to Track People Without Them Knowing?

In some cases, it can be legal to track people without them knowing. However, state laws and certain regulations are constantly changing to keep up with today’s technology-driven society and the many different ways that people can track another person secretly. For example, putting a tracking device on someone without them knowing, such as leaving an Apple Airtag hidden in someone’s car, is illegal. This is because you are putting a tracking device on them without their consent.

Along those same lines, spyware apps and malicious apps that you install on someone’s phone can be considered illegal if the person does not know about it. However, this is highly dependent on state laws, the age of the person you are tracking, and what you are tracking with. Always do research about specific regulations in your area to ensure you don’t deal with unnecessary legal consequences.

Are Spy Apps Legal?

Spy apps that you install on someone’s device to track them without their knowing are potentially illegal. This is because many states think that tracking devices that track someone without their consent is a violation of someone’s rights; many states also have laws and statutes ruling this behavior illegal.

If you obtain someone’s details with a spy app and the person did not consent to it, and you attempt to use these details and the location information in a court case, there is a good chance the evidence is inadmissible.

That being said, if you have someone’s consent, you can potentially install an app on their phone or other device to track their location; they may not necessarily know when you are tracking their location or the details you are accessing with this kind of app.

Can I Install Apps on Someone’s Phone?

In general, you can only install apps or other software on someone’s phone if you have their consent. However, the laws may be different if you are trying to track the location or details of your minor child; you may be able to install a legitimate location app on their phone as long as they are under 18 at the time.

Reasons to Track Someone’s Location Without Them Knowing

There are plenty of different reasons why you may want to track someone’s location without them knowing about it. We give you the most common reasons for doing this below:

  • You suspect your partner is cheating or otherwise lying about their activities
  • You need to track your children to ensure they arrive at school and other locations safely
  • You want to keep track of the location of a family member or friend who has medical issues
  • You need to ensure that someone you care about is making it to work or another address and back safely

Of course, you cannot track someone’s location to stalk them or harass them in any way, as this is a very serious crime and can land you with a criminal conviction.

Methods and Apps to Find People Without Them 

Below, we break down the apps to consider when you need to find someone easily and discreetly.

Knowing

The following search methods and apps can help you find people without them knowing you are checking their location. Keep in mind that these methods will require that the person knows they have their location information connected or that they have an app on their phone that can share their location information with you.

What the person doesn’t know is why exactly you are tracking their location or when you access the details of their location. The three following methods are all legitimate and legal methods to find someone, as long as the other person is consenting to anything installed on their phone or another device.

Find My Phone

Apple software offers a very convenient way to find your phone or another device if it is lost, as long as the device is connected to your iCloud account. For this method, simply log into your iCloud account and navigate to the “Find My” option. From here, you can see the location of all of the devices connected to that account, and you may also be able to see the location history of certain devices.

Google Maps

If someone is sharing their location with you on Google Maps, you can easily find their details by logging into your own Google Account. Once you log in, hit the settings menu and navigate to the “location sharing” option. Tap on the Google Account of someone who has shared their location with you in order to view their location details.

Keep in mind that Google Maps location sharing can be set to one-hour, 24-hour, and permanent options, so if you always want to access someone’s location, you will need to have them set their location sharing to the permanent option.

Life360

Life360 is one of the most popular apps for families and friends who need to keep track of each other’s locations. This app can work on any phone, regardless if you have an Android or Apple device, and there are different levels of subscriptions that you can enroll in.

Many people will install this app on their phones and the phones of their loved ones and then connect the accounts. When you open the app, you can see everyone on your account’s real-time locations. You can also see how fast someone drives, instances of potential driving issues, and emergency notifications.

When you open the app to check someone’s location, it does not notify the person you are checking, though when someone leaves and arrives at certain locations, the app may notify you unless you change this in the settings.

Red Flags to Look Out for With Spy Apps

If you are set on the idea of a spy app, and you are positive that installing a spy app on someone’s phone or device is legal in your location, you can help yourself avoid scams and theft by looking out for the following red flags.

  • The app is urgent and trying to get you to sign up or give your banking details immediately
  • The app or software is insisting it needs your personal details and Social Security number before it will work
  • The app or software is promising easy access to information that seems too good to be true
  • The app, website, or software seems poorly designed, and it is encouraging you to install it immediately – this could be malware or malicious software
  • The app is making claims that seem unrealistic or illegal

Any apps or software services that have one or more of these red flags should generally be avoided, as it is highly likely that they are trying to steal your personal information or bank account details.

What Do I Do If I Think My Partner is Cheating?

A lot of the time, the reason for tracking someone’s location without them knowing is because of suspected infidelity. If you believe that your partner is cheating and you want to know where they are, it’s best to try and figure out their location with legal methods of tracking.

For example, you can look at your partner’s internet history or the history that might be on their phone and connected to one account, such as a Google account. You can go to where your partner claims to be and see if they are there, or you can look at their online accounts to see if there is anything suspicious.

However, you need to be very cautious when doing this, especially if there is a chance your partner could become violent or threatening if they find out you have been tracking their activities. Consult a close friend or family member if you are in this situation and need guidance.

Do I Need to Pay to Find People Without Them Knowing?

In general, you shouldn’t need to pay to find people without them knowing, unless you are hiring a private investigator or using a legitimate app to track someone that requires a monthly subscription (Life360 is notable for requiring a subscription).

If you have encountered an online service or app that claims you need to submit your personal information, banking information, or credit card details in order to access the location information you need, it is highly likely that you are dealing with a scam. Only pay for apps and services that you are certain are legitimate.

Should I Hire a Private Investigator?

Hiring a private investigator can be expensive, so you should only do this if you absolutely need to know where someone is or if you need to find their location as soon as possible. For example, you may need to serve divorce papers to a former partner, or you might need to gather evidence about your partner’s activities for a lawsuit. 

In these cases, a private investigator is key, as trying to spy on them yourself and gather evidence in suspicious ways can result in your evidence not being admissible in your court case. This can result in legal consequences for you and a loss of your case against someone.

Finding the Information You Need, the Safe and Legal Way

Finding someone’s location and keeping track of someone’s location without them knowing can be difficult, especially if you are in a state or location that has laws against installing tracking devices or other software without the person’s consent. That being said, there are ways to find a person’s location or keep tabs on a person’s location without them necessarily knowing when you are checking and why.

We recommend reading up on the laws and regulations in your state regarding this topic in addition to using a legitimate and safe way, like the ones in our article, to track or keep tabs on someone’s location.

Tyron Pitch

Tyron Pitch

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