Unfortunately, some situations require people to be more observant of their loved one’s whereabouts. Suppose someone travels through areas without cell reception or is stranded in an unfamiliar place without identifiable street signs. In those cases, identifying a person’s location can be a life-saving feature.
To answer the question up front: yes, your location information can be collected from a text. However, if it is, you have either allowed it through location sharing, or your phone has spyware apps downloaded onto it.
For those looking to be better informed about loved ones or want to know if other people are trying to get a clue on their area, this article will answer any and all questions. The following paragraphs will see if someone can track your location from a text and the steps needed to accomplish it.
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Ways to Track Location Through a Text
Texts do not commonly give much information about the sender outside of a phone number and what type of phone the message came from. Because of this, learning about who sent the phone or where the text came from can be difficult. One of the simplest ways to do this is to use a phone reverse number lookup (like you can find here), but we’ll also cover some other options.
Location Sharing
Those who prefer Apple products can use a built-in app on the iPhone that allows location sharing. Location sharing is a tool that will enable you to pick people to whom you can send your location. This can be done as a one-time reassurance or used permanently to allow people to see where you are currently at.
Location-sharing is helpful for families who want to keep an eye on loved ones and ensure they get to their target area safely and securely.
If you are trying to get information about a person sending text messages from an unfamiliar phone number, this tool will be entirely useless. If you want to keep those you care about safe and secure, however, it is a wonderful asset that can take a lot of stress off a person. Google Maps has a location-sharing feature for Android phones that isn’t as efficient, though it works just as accurately.
Spy or Tracking Applications
There are certain applications and software available that are very hard to detect on your phone that can give away your location to someone else without your consent or knowledge. The problem with these apps is that they require access to a person’s phone, which can be a tricky and sketchy process in itself.
If you are concerned that the software on your phone is giving away private information without your consent, then you must check the listed applications in your settings. If you notice unfamiliar applications you didn’t install or even recognize, try googling the name and see what they do.
Similarly, if apps on your phone track your location throughout the day, it will run through the battery. If you have a relatively new phone and notice that the charge is not keeping as it used to, you may have a spy app working overtime in the background.
Cell Phone Triangulation
Outside of emergency services and local law enforcement, the chances of someone using cell phone towers to narrow in on your location are exceedingly unlikely. Triangulation, put plainly, is a tool used to locate people by tracking the cell phone towers that messages and phone calls have bounced off of.
This strategy is not incredibly specific, and triangulation often covers an approximate area, though it rarely narrows down to an exact location.
Quick Summary of Tracking Locations From a Text
There is no easy way to track someone’s location through text without their consent, which is actually very reassuring. That does not mean it is impossible to find out where someone is, though it requires mutual consent or someone going through an unattended phone.
Triangulation is also possible, though the general public does not have easy access to it, and it is not specific in location as is. So, while it may not be impossible to track someone’s location through text, it is difficult enough that most should not stress over it. If you think someone is watching your location, be sure to check for any unfamiliar apps.
