To turn your old Android phone into a tracking device, you need to install a phone tracking app. One of your main options is Google’s very own Find My Device. It’s pre-installed on most Android devices but you can also find it on the Play Store. Alternatively, you might want to try some of the third-party apps on Google Play Store.
If you choose to go with Find My Device, here’s what you need to do to set it up (via Google Support):
- Sign in to your Google account on your phone if you haven’t already.
- Turn on Location and Wi-Fi or mobile data.
- Enable Find My Device from Settings > Security.
- Enable “Store recent location” from Settings > Security > Find My Device.
- Go to Google Play Library and verify that your device has a checkmark in the “Show in Menus” column.
- Sign in to your Find My Device app.
On the other hand, if you need more functionality than what Find My Device offers, you can opt to try third-party apps. Here are two of the options you can easily download and set up:
- Life360: Apart from providing real-time location, the app also features Crash Detection to alert you if anyone in your circle got into a road accident.
- GeoZilla: This comes with a Significant Location Change (SLC) feature that helps save your phone’s battery as it only activates the family tracker once the phone has traveled a significant distance.
