How to Track My Child’s Phone Without Them Knowing For Free And With Tested Paid Apps

There are many apps for parental control that have different features depending on parent’s needs.

Parental monitoring is not snooping. It’s about safety. Once your kids start using smartphones, you’re concerned about what they may encounter online. With so many lurking dangers on the internet, it’s your fundamental duty to protect your children from potential harm. So, you’re in the right place if you want to know how to track your child’s phone without them knowing (because you know what kids think about this). There are free ways, but we also tested paid ones.

Statistics show that 70% of children encounter violent or sexual content online while doing research or homework. It goes even further because one in seven kids is contacted online by someone with sexual intentions. These statistics make the need to bolster online kids’ safety even greater.

Here are more reasons to monitor your child’s phone and location:

• cyberbullying;
• Internet addiction;
• sexting;
• identifying their social groups;
• location tracking;
• monitoring kids with health issues.

So, how can parental control apps help?

These are just some helpful features you can expect when you start using monitoring apps on your child’s phone:

• monitor calls;
• real-time location tracking;
• monitor messages, including from social media apps;
• social media platforms activity;
• web browser history;
• filter apps and content;
• set screen time limits, etc.

Table of Top 11 Apps to Monitor Kids’ Phones

There are endless choices when you want to track your child’s cell phone. All available options claim to be the best. But are they really? After conducting thorough research, we’ve concluded that these options are the best for most parents.

Total Apps Researched: 42

Total Apps Shortlisted: 11

We took some resources from the top reviews of the best, and almost all of them were awful. So trust only verified sources of information or blogs of specialized services related to telecommunications. For example, like our HeyLocate blog.

How Can I Monitor My Child’s Phone Without Them Knowing?

To monitor a child’s phone without them knowing, you need to install an app that works in hidden mode.

It’s challenging to convince a tween or teen that you need to install a parental control app on their phone. But we can all agree that figuring out how to monitor your child’s phone will go a long way toward your child’s safety.

Remember that boys are more prone to joining street gangs and bad company, while girls are more often likely to fall prey to stalkers. Now with phone monitoring apps for Android or iOS devices, you can stay ahead of online dangers.

These are the best phone tracking apps to monitor your child’s phone without them knowing:

Parentaler

Parentaler is a top-notch parental control app for full phone monitoring.

Why Parents Choose Parentaler:

• it gives a detailed overview of a child’s phone;
• monitors calls and texts;
• can track browser history and block websites;
• tracks locations and gives geofence alerts.

Price:

• $40.68/mo;
• $22.83/mo paid quarterly;
• $9.60/mo paid annually.

Compatibility:

Android, iOS.

User Experience:

I installed Parentaler on my son’s Android phone, and it configured in the background. The app synced the phone’s data every 15 minutes to the online dashboard.

I could see the phone’s position on a map. I created geofence locations, and the app provided me with real alerts when he left the geofence zones.

Parentaler also tracked his contacts, texts, calls, and social media interactions. I liked that I could access the phone remotely to block inappropriate content on any device.

Parentaler is a comprehensive choice when you want to track your child’s phone without them knowing.

Try Parentaler

mSpy

mSpy cell phone monitoring app is fast and easy to install on the target device. After I installed mSpy, the app allowed me to see the child’s location in real-time and their location history.

This app can track an Android or iOS device in stealth mode, so I didn’t worry about it getting deleted. In addition, mSpy can manage calls and sent and received text messages from social media apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.

Why Parents Choose mSpy:

• it can monitor keystrokes;
• shows live location and location history;
• it monitors in stealth mode.

Price:

• 1-month plan: $48.99/mo;
• 3-month plan: $28.99/mo;
• 12-month plan: $11.67/mo.

Compatibility:

Android, iOS, PC.

User Experience:

The user interface is straightforward since it has a clear dashboard. Hence, if I needed to see the internet activity of the target phone, all I did was click on the internet activity icon to see the browsing history, website bookmarks, and Wi-Fi networks, among others.

This app also has a geo-fencing feature, it can read emails and access calendar activity.

In comparison with other parental apps mSpy allows more monitoring than restricting.

Try mSpy

uMobix

uMobix requires a subscription to use its services. Thus, after creating an account, I chose the type of phone I needed to monitor. On Android phone, I needed to access the phone physically, while on iPhone, I needed the child’s iCloud credentials.

Why Parents Choose uMobix:

• options for blacklisting websites from the browser history;
• the app tracks video calls, call logs, displays the cell phone number, time of call, and duration of the call.

Price:

• 1-month plan: $49.99/mo;
• 3-month plan: $27.99/mo;
• 12-month plan: $11.66/mo.

Compatibility:

Android, iOS, PC.

User Experience:

This app let me see who the child is calling, the call history, and how long the phone calls were taking. I could also read text messages, see the GPS location data, and view deleted content.

I liked that uMobix can access the camera and mic on the kid’s phone, so you can see and hear their environment. Nonetheless, this feature is available on iPhones only.

uMobix gives you peace of mind when you want to keep your kid safe from online predators and other dangers of the internet. It hides among other apps and remains undetected, so you can monitor your child’s phone anonymously.

Try uMobix

eyeZy

EyeZy connects to Android devices by installing it directly onto the phone or remotely on iPhones using iCloud credentials.

Why Parents Choose eyeZy:

• complete surveillance on social media platforms;
• identify unknown numbers.

Price:

• 1-month plan: $47.99/mo;
• 3-month plan: $27.99;
• 12-month plan: $9.99.

User Experience:

Once the app started running on the kid’s phone, I could see the live location and past locations on the target device. The app also showed the keystrokes, call logs, contacts, and messages.

The best thing about eyeZy is that it can see the browser history on private and incognito windows. I could block and unblock apps, websites, and Wi-Fi alongside accessing files and emails.

Try EyeZy

Cocospy

Cocospy is a simple parental control app with most of the basic features that you need.

Why Parents Choose Cocospy:

• it can detect SIM card change;
• tracks contacts saved on the kid’s phone;
• accesses social media accounts;
• GPS tracking and geo-fencing.

Price:

• 3 devices plan: $69.99/mo;
• 1-device plan: $39.99;
• 12-month plan: $9.99.

Compatibility:

Android, iOS, PC.

User Experience:

It installs on the kid’s phone by downloading from the App Store or Google Play Store. In iPhones, you’ll have to jailbreak the phone to install it, but you can also access the target iPhone using their iCloud credentials.

Although there’s no free version, the basic features include call logs, real-time location, browser history, and accessing videos preview, photos, and bookmarks.

I opted for the premium version to get other features like a keylogger, social media monitoring on 10+ apps, and comprehensive online activity tracking. Furthermore, it’s 100% invisible. Once I installed, it disappeared into the background.

Try Cocospy

OverWatch

This app came in handy for the GPS coordinates, checking the browser history, calendar events, and social media tracking. The app can access Facebook, Tiktok, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.

Why Parents Choose OverWatch:

• screenshot style tracking;
• it can track incoming and outgoing calls;
• reads conversations in social media apps.

Price:

• 1-month plan: $49.99/mo;
• 3-month plan: $29.99/mo;
• 12-month plan: $12.49/mo.

Compatibility:

Android & PC.

User Experience:

After installing OverWatch on the child’s Android phone, OverWatch allowed me to monitor various features, such as capturing the GPS coordinates of the device. It combines this feature with location tracking, which was great if I needed to intervene before my child ventured into dangerous places.

OverWatch also operates in stealth mode, so I knew it wouldn’t be found among standard apps on my kids phones.

Try OverWatch

XNSPY

Best of all, the app has stealth mode operation. Thus, it’s a good option when you want a comprehensive parental control app with advanced features to track a child’s phone without them knowing.

Why Parents Choose XNSPY:

• it can track GPS locations;
• monitors phone activity remotely;
• it can record a child’s surroundings;
• offers remote control of the target phone.

Price:

• 1-month plan: $29.99/mo;
• 3-month plan: $13.99/mo;
• 12-month plan: $4.99/month;
• premium plan: $35.99/mo.

Compatibility:

Android, iOS.

User Experience:

I could connect XNSPY on rooted and unrooted Android devices by simply installing the app on the phone. The option to install it on iPhone is if you’ve jailbroken the device. Since the iPhone I wanted to monitor was not jailbroken, I used their iCloud credentials and enabled iCloud backup on the iPhone.

Some of the XNSPY features I liked include; remotely checking all phonebook entries, seeing the GPS locations, and getting alerts from the GPS watchlist. This app also has text message monitoring, which was great for seeing my child’s communications and call recordings.

In addition, I could monitor instant messaging apps, monitor keystrokes, and record audio of the child’s surroundings.

Try XNSPY

Qustodio

Qustodio is a good app since it offers many features that I found helpful for tracking someone’s phone.

Why Parents Choose Qustodio:

• it has comprehensive time restrictions;
• allows app blocking on mobile and desktop platforms;
• web content filtering;
• it can monitor up to 15 devices.

Price:

• 5-device plan: $54.95/year;
• 10-device plan: $96.95/year;
• 15-device plan: $137.95/year.

Compatibility:

Android, iOS, Windows, Chrome OS, Kindle Fire, Mac.

User Experience:

The first step to using this app is to create an account and the child’s profile, which I did. After which, I enabled the necessary permissions upon installing it on the kid’s phone.

This tracking app has text and call logs monitoring. I also liked the app management feature, as it allowed me to set daily time limits for the apps my child visits. This feature works great on Android mobile devices, but not as great on iPhones.

Nevertheless, I could block and unblock websites, filter searches, and view my child’s location and location history. However, it does not go into stealth mode automatically. I had to hide it using the parent’s dashboard.

Try Qustodio

Life360

Life360 allowed me to track my child’s phone without them knowing for free. This app is mainly about cell phone location safety.

Why Parents Choose Life360:

• it can track a vehicle’s speed;
• the app can send out SOS signals in an emergency;
• shows a kid’s exact location at all times.

Price:

• basic plan: free;
• premium: $4.99/mo;
• premium yearly plan: $49.99/year.

Compatibility:

Apple iOS 13 and up, Android OS 8 and up.

User Experience:

I liked its location sharing, which allowed me to always find my child’s phone. I could also see the phone’s location history for the past month and how long my child was in a particular location.

Life360 has a Bubbles feature to show the general location instead of the exact location. Other features that I liked include place alerts, SOS with emergency dispatch, and a crime report feature to know about crimes in the area that my child visits.

Driving and digital safety features also helped me take charge of my child’s personal safety.

Try Life360

Google Family Link

Google Family Link is basic since it’s free. Thus, it lacks most of the features of paid parental apps. Nevertheless, I found it’s great for monitoring app usage, screen time, and cell phone location.

There are separate apps for parents and children, so I had to install both apps to benefit from the features.

Why Parents Choose Google Family Link:

• web and app filtering;
• allows screen time limits;
• offers location tracking of child’s phone.

Price:

Free.

Compatibility:

Android 4.4 KitKat and higher and iOS 11 and higher on parental app. Android 7.0 Nougat and higher, 5.0 Lollipop and higher, and 6.0 Marshmallow and higher on kid’s phone.

User Experience:

Google Family Link allowed me to choose the sites my child could visit and the apps they could install. In addition, I could set screen time limits, schedule days of the week for phone use, and track my child’s location.

Google Family Link also generates a report of the child’s phone activity.

Try Google Family Link

mLite

I had first to download mLite on my phone and then on the child’s phone to start monitoring the phone’s activity.

Why Parents Choose mLite:

• it can record calls;
• shows GPS location of child’s phone;
• it can monitor SMS and contacts activity.

Price:

• 1-day trial: $0.99;
• monthly plan: $14/99/mo.

Compatibility:

Android, iOS.

User Experience:

The first feature I tried out was real-time location tracking of the target device. I created safe zones, and the app could alert me when my child left those safety zones.

mLite allowed me to listen to my child’s surroundings by remotely turning on the mic on their phone. The app also supports viewing call logs, app monitoring, and reading text messages.

I liked the panic button most since a child can send an SOS message by simply clicking on it to alert me of an emergency. Nonetheless, I could not hide it on my child’s iPhone since it requires the latest iOS 16.1.2.

Try mLite

How to Track My Daughter’s or Son’s iPhone Location

To track your kid’s iPhone for free, use Family Sharing feature.

What You Need to Use It:

• create a Family Sharing group;
• your child has to be in your family group.

Steps:

1. Create a Family Sharing Group.
   Go to Settings > Your Name > Set Up Family Sharing. Follow the onscreen prompts and add a payment method. Invite family members and enable family-sharing features on your device.
   
2. Create A Child Account.
   Open Settings > Family Sharing. Tap Add Family member and select Create a Child Account. Sign in to that account using the email address and password you used to create that account.
   
3. Start Monitoring Phone Activity.
   Set screen time. Enable content and privacy restrictions. Allow or block apps. Set permissions for apps that your child can download.

How to Track Your Child’s Android Phone

To track your kid’s Android phone for free, use the location sharing feature on Google Maps. This works for any cell phone.

What You Need to Use It:

Enable Location sharing on the child’s phone.

Steps:

1. Open Google Maps on your kid’s phone.
2. Click on settings > Location Sharing.
3. Tap Get Started.
4. Choose how long to share location between one hour and until you turn off the location sharing feature.
5. Tap Share.

You will always see your child’s phone when you open Google Maps on your cell phone.

Bonus: Track Child’s Location Via SMS

If you don’t want a dedicated app for tracking the location of your child’s phone, there are options to know your kid’s location without installing software on their device.

These online location-tracking services allow you to send anonymous texts with location-tracking links. Our top recommendations are Scannero and Locationtracker.mobi.

While Scannero allows you to send regular text messages, Locationtracker.mobi has options for sending messages via WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. These location trackers are ideal in emergencies and one-off tracking of a child’s cell phone location.

Conclusion

Monitoring your child’s phone can help keep your child safer online, and it helps you become aware of the things that children, especially teens and teens, aren’t willing to share. Paid apps are the best for their comprehensive features, accuracy, and real-time tracking.

If you’re looking for the best option to help you identify potential dangers and always know your child’s location, mSpy is our number one recommendation. uMobix is another excellent option, as it has detailed reports of the target device activity. When you want to monitor multiple devices while accessing advanced features, Cocospy will come through in a big way.

Hopefully, this list helps you stay ahead of your child’s safety by choosing a cell phone tracking app that fits your parental control needs.