In this day and age, people usually carry their cell phones with them as if it were a child under strict supervision.
This makes it incredibly easy to contact (and even keep track of) almost everybody at any time.
But what if the person you are trying to contact has powered their device down? Can you see someone’s location if their phone is off?
When someone’s phone is switched off/dead, you will not be able to view that device’s location unless there is a preinstalled tracking app on the phone, or if the ‘Bluetooth Location’ is on.
In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about tracking the location of a phone that has been turned off.
We’ll also take a look into whether you can find someone if their phone is on Airplane mode.
Let’s get right into it!
When Your Phone Dies, Does Your Location Turn Off?
When a phone dies, the location will not turn off per se.
You will still be able to find the phone’s location as long as the ‘Bluetooth Location’ feature has been enabled.
However, if this feature has not been enabled, the device will display its last known location history before being switched off.
Once the device is back on, the mobile phone will automatically update its location.
However, this is only possible if a phone has certain tracking apps enabled. These include ‘Find My iPhone’ on iPhones, or ‘FamiSafe’ on Android.
But what if the device does not have a GPS tracking app?
In this case, you will not be able to see the device’s location once the phone has died.
This is why it is absolutely essential to make sure you and your family members have a GPS location sharing and tracking app installed in the event of an emergency!
While ordinary citizens cannot track the location of a switched-off phone which also does not have a tracking app, government organizations like the NSA are still able to locate these phones.
On the other hand, if the device is on but the data connection is off, you will be able to track the phone’s location. This tracking works for most mobile devices, including iPhones and Android phones.
The device does this by connecting to cellular towers and Wi-Fi hotspots close by, which gives the user an estimated phone location.
So if you are ever concerned about finding a lost or stolen phone when the cellular data is off, don’t worry! You may still be able to defy the odds and narrow down the location.
Can You See Someone’s Location If Their Phone Is On Airplane Mode?
Airplane mode is a setting that can stop most smart devices from sending or receiving any wireless signals.
The primary purpose of this feature is to prevent signal transmission between devices, which can interfere with an aircraft signal.
However, in day-to-day life most people treat ‘Airplane mode’ as a ‘Do not disturb’ feature for their phone. This is because this mode prevents the device from receiving any calls or messages while it is turned on.
Thankfully, Airplane mode uses a different technology to what is used for GPS tracking.
This means that even when Airplane mode is switched on, you can still see the location of a phone.
While Airplane Mode switches off the transmission of cellular signals, GPS tracking technology does not rely on cellular signals to track locations. Instead, it makes use of satellite signals.
However, if you want to hide your location from someone and ensure that someone cannot track you via your phone, all you have to do is disable your phone’s location services.
This is how to disable the location services on an iPhone and Android device:
iPhone:
1. Visit Settings and click on Privacy
2. Find ‘Location Services‘ and click on it
3. Click the button to disable ‘Location Services’.
Android:
1. Visit Settings and select Location
2. Swipe the button to turn this feature off.
FAQ
What does ‘No location found’ mean on Find My iPhone?
Alternatively, this could also mean that the device is out of network coverage and the phone is unable to display the location.
How do you know if someone has turned off their phone?
If the call immediately goes to their voicemail, this usually means that the phone is off. However, if the call continues to ring, then this means the phone has a signal and is therefore not switched off.
In Summary
In response to the question, “Can you see someone’s location if their phone is off?” The answer is usually No– unless:
- The phone has the Bluetooth Location feature switched on, or
- The phone has a GPS tracking app installed, in which case the device can still display the last known location before it was turned off.
It is also important to note that the location will still be shown when a device is in Airplane mode.
In order to most effectively hide your location, you should instead make sure to disable the location services on your device!
Do you know how to stay safe on your smartphone? Keep yourself protected with our Comprehensive A-Z Of Smartphone Security right HERE!