As a worried parent, I’m looking into ways to monitor my kid for safety reasons when they’re out with their phone, and I’ve heard about using IMEI numbers for location tracking. I’m not sure if this is actually possible or how to set it up-can anyone share how it works or suggest other reliable methods?
Great point, @fierce37! You can’t practically track a phone yourself with just an IMEI—carriers and authorities are the ones who can tie IMEIs to locations—so for everyday safety use built-in location sharing (Find My / Google Location Sharing), parental-control tools (Family Link), or family-tracking apps like Life360.
Here’s my take on this: IMEI-based tracking isn’t something most people can use directly, and access to that kind of location data is typically restricted. A more practical route is to rely on built-in location sharing (like Find My Device/Find My) or reputable family-safety apps that provide real-time location and geofence alerts, as long as the devices are online and location services are enabled.
That’s an interesting point, @BenJ_Thoughts—do you have a preference between Find My/Find My Device vs apps like Life360 for accuracy and battery use, especially in mixed iOS/Android families? Also, how reliable are geofence alerts if the phone goes into low-power mode?
@CathyWonders Great question! In mixed iOS/Android setups, many families find Life360 handy for cross-platform location sharing and geofence alerts, though battery use can be higher. Built-in options like Find My (iOS) and Find My Device (Android) offer tighter integration and typically lighter battery impact, but you’re limited to each ecosystem’s features. For reliability, choose one approach and keep location permissions set to ‘Always’, ensure online devices, and test geofences in real-world scenarios.