Free phone location - worth it?

The advantages and disadvantages of various types of solutions for spying on mobile phones have already been discussed many times. One of the important information that can be obtained from a monitored smartphone is where the phone is currently located. In this case, it is not only about spying, but also about locating the phone in case of theft or loss of the device. What are the free methods of locating the phone and how does their effectiveness look like?

How does the location of the phone work?

Most modern phones and especially smartphones can be located in two different ways. The first solution is to use the built-in GPS receiver. Your phone searches for satellite signals and uses this to determine your location. Another solution is to determine to which BTS base station the phone is currently logged in. This information is shown on the map,

GPS phone location

There are many free applications on the market for smartphones that run on Android. Some are recommendable, while others do much worse. The choice of applications and the granting of permits and access to resources must always be considered. If you want to locate your phone and know the results on the same phone, Janosi, Google Maps or ViewRanger applications are a good solution. You can then easily find out where you are currently staying.

However, what should I do if the purpose is to locate a phone that is in the possession of another person, e.g. a child or an elderly person? In order to do this, you need to install an application that sends the location of the device to a related web platform or email. So far, no existing free application is working satisfactorily. Usually these are applications that spam with advertisements, pretend to be spyphone or have poor stability.

Location of the BTS telephone

BTS base stations allow you to make phone calls. In this case, the cell connects to one of the ground masts and transmits the relevant information to the phone that is logged in to another BTS. Interestingly, the same masts can also be used to approximate the location of the phone. The accuracy in this case is about 400 metres. On the basis of this method are solutions such as Find the loved ones or Where the child is. These are services provided by the GPS operator itself and generally paid for. There are no free applications that work on the same basis. If already, they bombard with advertisements and pose a threat to the safety of the phone user.

Is it worth it?

In fact, it is not really recommended to use this type of application. It is better to opt for proven Spyphone solutions that are not only effective, but also secure. In fact, free applications have only one advantage - they are free of charge.

All free applications are visible after installation. Most of them, however, require permission to access information that is not known, where it goes afterwards and where it is used later.