How to Track Phone Without a Sim Card (5 Simple Ways)

A Sim card is the chip inside your cell phone that enables it to communicate with your network operator. Before the emergence of the smartphone, a cell phone would be useless without the sim card as the sim card is the only chip in your cell phone that allows you to connect with other cell phones. Now, with the integration of personal computer and cell phone, you got this powerful smartphone that can also be able to be utilized without a sim card. Without the sim card, your smartphone can still be connected with other smartphones as long as you are connected to a Wi-Fi.

The GPS in your smartphone can always emit transmission using the internet. By leveraging the connection on the internet, you can still communicate even without the sim card. This also includes the ability to track your phone’s location even without a sim card on your smartphone.

So, how are you able to use that smartphone ability to track your phone without a sim card? Here we show you several ways how you can do just that.

TRACK USING WEB-BASED TRACKING SERVICES

Both the iOS and Android Device Manager use internet connection to find and track your phone. It leverages on your phone’s GPS connection to the internet instead of the link to your cell network. Therefore, it can always track your lost phone even without the sim card installed in your phone.

Find My iPhone

If you are using iPhone, you can log into your Apple account at https://www.icloud.com/#find and track your lost iPhone

Read here if you want to know the step by step on how to track your iPhone using the Apple services.

Android Device Manager

If you are using Android Device Manager, you can log to https://www.google.com/android/find?u=0

Read here if you want to know how to track a phone using the Android Device Manager.

TRACK USING SOCIAL MEDIA APP

Social media apps nowadays can track the location of your phone based on the GPS coordinate. This helps the social media platform to send ads based on your location. It also helps to geotag the location of your post. In specific social media app such as Snapchat, it can also show your location on a map.

Your phone only needs the sim card if you want to use the data plan that is connected to your service network provider. Here we show you how to know the location of your phone based on the last login of your devices using the Snapchat account.

Snapchat has the feature of showing your location in a map. You can access this Snapchat map using the website browser. So, if you lost your phone, you can use this web browser to track your phone based on your Snapchat account.

Snapchat Map

Step 1

Go to https://map.snapchat.com

Step 2

Log into your Snapchat account, and you will be able to see your location if your phone is active and connected to the internet.

TRACK USING IMEI NUMBER

The IMEI number and the ICCID number is two different numbers that identify your cell phone. The IMEI number represents your smartphone, and the ICCID number represents your sim card number. Therefore, if you do lose your phone and the sim card is taken out of the phone, your IMEI number is the next best thing to use to identify and track your phone.

However, your IMEI number is just a number similar to a plate number in your car. However, it is vital information if you want to get your service network operator to assist you in tracking your phone. The network operator can identify your phone by using their cell tower network each time your phone is connected to a cell phone network tower.

IMEI number

How to Get Your IMEI number

And if you are wondering how to know your IMEI number, here are the steps

Step 1

In General settings of your phone, go to “About.”

Step 2

You will see your phone’s IMEI number listed here. Keep a record of your phone’s IMEI number somewhere safe in case you lost your phone

TRACK USING GOOGLE ACCOUNT

Google services such as Gmail keep tracks of your location based on the latest login using your phone. So, if you are using Gmail in your phone, you can use Google account to track your last position.

Here are the steps on how to track your phone using Google account

Google Account

Step 1

Log into your Gmail

Step 2

Go to https://myaccount.google.com/security

Step 3

Go to “Your Devices”

Here you can see your devices that use any of Google services such a Gmail together with its detail that includes the last location you used that service

TRACK USING CLOUD SERVICES

If you are using cloud storage services in your phone such as Dropbox, you can use that account to help track the last login position of your phone.

Dropbox

Step 1

Go to https://www.dropbox.com/account/security

Step 2

Log into your Dropbox account

Step 3

In your security settings, you can see the login details together with the last login or syncing location that your device have with Dropbox

So, there you have it. Five simple ways how you can track your phone without a sim card in it. Please leave us a comment below on what other ways you know on tracking a phone that has no sim card.

Please also read our previous article on the ultimate guide on how to track the lost phone.

How to Track Mobile Phone using WhatsApp

If you are an avid user of the instant messaging application on your mobile phone, you will have used or heard about WhatsApp. WhatsApp is a popular instant messaging application in which you can use not just to text your friend but also send images and videos. Another cool feature of WhatsApp is that it also enables you to share your mobile phone location with your friends.

WhatsApp recently has introduced a capability in which you can track your friend’s location real time. This means that if your friend was at location A in the morning and later in the day move to location B, you would able to know their current location by just using WhatsApp. This cool feature can also be utilized as a phone tracker.

However, the only limitation to this is that it only allows you to share the real-time location up to 8 hours only. However, it is good enough for you to track a phone and another good thing is that it is free.

So, if you are interested to learn how to track a friend or even your phone using WhatsApp, here are the steps. However, first, you need to enable the live location sharing feature in WhatsApp first.

Here are the steps.

HOW TO ENABLE WHATSAPP FOR LIVE LOCATION SHARING

How to enable Whatsapp for live location sharing

Step 1

Open your iPhone and tap “Settings.”

Step 2

In Settings, scroll down and tap “WhatsApp.”

How to enable Whatsapp live location sharing

Step 3

In the WhatsApp settings, tap “Location.”

Step 4

In the Location settings, change to “Always”.

By changing to “Always” settings, you can track the mobile phone regardless of the WhatsApp application is in use or not. As long as the phone is on and connected to the internet, you are good to go.

So, once you enable the live location feature in WhatsApp, you can then start tracking phone by just using WhatsApp. 

Here are the steps.

HOW TO SHARE WHATSAPP LIVE LOCATION FOR PHONE TRACKING

How to share whatsapp live location 1

Step 1

Open WhatsApp and open the contact chat screen that you want to share the live location. Tap the “+” button below

Step 2

A menu will be shown. Tap “Location”

How to share whatsapp live location sharing 2

Step 3

In the “Send Location” settings, tap “Share Live Location.”

Step 4

You can then set the duration of the live location sharing to either 15 minutes, 1 hour or 8 hours

How to share whatsapp live location sharing 3

Your phone will now be able to transmit your location live to another phone via WhatsApp. That another phone will act as the tracker in case your phone got lost, or you misplaced it. The location transmitted will be a real-time location.

As long as that mobile phone is on and connected to the internet, you will be able to track it even when the WhatsApp application is closed.

You can end the live location sharing immediately by tapping the “Stop Sharing.”

 So, there you have it — simple ways of how you can track a mobile phone real time by using WhatsApp. Please leave us a comment on whether this tip works for you or not.

Please also read our previous article on how to track friends using a mobile phone.

How to Use Your Old iPhone As Tracking Device

Based on actual existing GPS technology that we have right now, we can use an old iPhone that you might not be using to help track people. Yes, by using an old iPhone we have a powerful spy gadget that we can utilise to save the day as what Peter Parker has done in the Spiderman movie.

If you see a scene in the Marvel’s Spiderman Homecoming movie where Peter Parker quietly drops a phone in the villain’s car so that he would able to track it afterwards, that technique is not science fiction.

What is the possible use of an iPhone as a tracking device?

  1. Helps you to track your asset – For example, you can use your old iPhone as a tracking device for your car. This way, if your car does get stolen, you will immediately know where it went.
  2. Helps you to track your kids/families – If you are worried bad things that can happen to your kids or families, you can use your old iPhone as a way of to keep track the current location and whereabouts of your kids and families at all time.
  3. Helps you to track delivery of a package – If you have requested a person to help to deliver an important package, the old iPhone will help you to know where the location of the package as it is being delivered. 

So, if the above reasons resonate with you and you do have an old iPhone lying around, here are the steps on how you can use your iPhone as a tracking device.

However, first, here are the equipment that you need:-

How to use iPhone as tracking device
  1. AN IPHONE (AS TRACKING DEVICE) – Update the iOS to iOS 8 or later. Make sure it is on and fully charged
  2. ANOTHER IPHONE (AS THE TRACKER) – Update the iOS to iOS 8 or later
  3. FIND FRIENDS APP (IT IS NORMALLY INSTALLED IN IPHONE BY DEFAULT)
  4. SIM CARD WITH DATA PLAN FOR THE IPHONE THAT WILL ACT AS THE TRACKING DEVICE
How to use iPhone as tracking device

Step 1

Open the iPhone that will act as the tracker. Open the “Find Friends” app

Step 2

In the “Find Friends” app, tap “Add.”

How to use iPhone as tracking device

Step 3

Put both iPhone close to one another. Your iPhone will detect the other iPhone via AirDrop connection. Tap the iPhone icon that shows up.

Alternatively, you can also add using contact by tapping the “+” icon in the “To:” section

Step 4

A menu will be shown. Tap “Share Indefinitely”

How to use iPhone as tracking device

Step 5

A request will be shown on the iPhone that will act as the tracking device. Tap “Accept”

At the iPhone that will act as the tracker, a notification will also be shown stating the iPhone that will act as the tracking device started sharing location with you. Tap “View” to proceed

Step 6

You will start seeing the location of the iPhone on a map. The location is shared real-time

How to use iPhone as tracking device

You can also set a notification via the “Notify Me” function at the above the map. By enabling this function, the iPhone that you are tracking will notify you once it leaves or starts moving.

So, there you have it — simple steps on how you can convert an old iPhone into a tracking device. Please leave us a comment below on whether you have used this function before and how effective is it in helping you track your friends.

Please also read our previous article on how to track your friends using your phone.