With the rapid advancement of technology, anything seems to be possible nowadays. Imagine receiving an anonymous text message, only to discover that someone knows your address as soon as you click the message. This alarming possibility is a widespread concern as everyone is conscious of their privacy.
In this post, we will learn if it’s possible to track a text message location, how to know if someone is tracking you, and the best way to keep tabs on your family & friend’s whereabouts.
Can Someone Track My Location from a Text?
The straightforward answer is YES. Someone can track your location from a text, but it doesn’t mean your location is compromised when you receive any random text message.
While text messages don’t inherently expose your location, it’s the content of the messages that pose the risk of blowing your cover. This could happen when you click a hidden link in the text message, thereby redirecting you to a website or installing malware that compromises your location.
Other times, it could be caused by a MMS (multimedia messaging system), which includes sharing photos and videos of your location. Someone might recognize the place, making it easy to find you.
How Can Your Location be Tracked through Text Message?
There are various methods to get IP address from text message. Here are the common methods used:
- 1️⃣Click the Link with Location Information in the Text
Links can be included in text messages, asking for your permission to track your location. These messages may be sent from loved ones or imposters using third-party tracking tools. Once you click the link, your location is exposed.
- 2️⃣Send MMS with Location Information
Sending a message that includes media, which in any way points to your location can tell people where you are. It could be a picture of a notable building or an audio that informs the other party that you’re at a specific place.
- 3️⃣Triangulation
Used by law enforcement agencies and other regulatory bodies, triangulation involves determining a person’s location by combining signals from numerous phone GPS. The accurate location is derived from signals in nearby cellular towers.
- 4️⃣Social Networking App
Some social networking apps, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and Snapchat can share your location once you enable their location-sharing features. The other party will get a map view of your precise location.
How to Know Whether Someone’s Tracking Your Location?
If you want to be sure that someone is tracking your location, these are signs you should look out for:
- 📍Location Requests: Are you wondering that can someone track your location from a text iPhone? If you grant permission to a message to view your location, know that someone is monitoring your every move.
- 📢Notifications: Can text messages be traced? If you get a notification after receiving a text message that an app is tracking your location, it signifies that someone is spying on you.
- 🔋Quick Battery Discharge: If your phone battery is draining quicker than it used to, it could be an indication that the GPS services are working in the background, meaning someone may be tracking you.
- 🔩Unknown App Installation: Did you find an unknown app on your phone after clicking a link in a text message and you’re asking can SMS messages be traced? The app may have been installed when you clicked the link to monitor your movement.
Steps to Prevent Your Location to be Tracked from Text
While you might be unable to totally avoid leaking your location, there are various preventive measures to ensure you can’t be tracked by text. They include:
- Scrutinize text messages thoroughly and make sure you don’t click on location request links.
- Be cautious of sending videos, photos, and audio that give away your location.
- Frequently audit all your apps to know the ones that have access to your location, and be careful while using them.
- When not in use, disable location services to avoid GPS tracking in the background.
- Install anti-spyware software on your device to counter any foreign malware or app that poses threats.
Bonus Tips: How to Safely Locate Your Family?
The safest way to locate your family is TraceU – a reliable phone number tracker that shows you the real-time location of your family members and displays their location on a map for easy finding. It’s a great parental tool that helps you keep tabs on your kids’ whereabouts and check if they are at school, home, playground, etc.
TraceU is a cross-compatible tracker that helps you find family members on iPhone, Android, computer, tablet, and any device with internet connectivity. It also lets you check their location history to see the places they’ve visited.
👉Follow this process to safely locate your family using TraceU:
- Go to the TraceU website, select the phone tracker option, and enter the phone number of the family member you want to locate. Then, click Search.
- Instantly, the search for the location begins.
- After the search is completed, enter your email address, and follow the on-screen instructions to receive detailed information about the family member’s location.
Conclusion
There are several ways to track location nowadays, especially with the development of technology on the rise. In this post, we’ve answered the question: can texts be traced? So, you don’t have to be confused anymore because someone can track a text message location. We also highlighted how this is possible, how to prevent it, and the safest way to locate your family members.
FAQs about Text Message Tracking
In addition to answering the question, can someone track my phone by texting me, here are answers to other related questions.
1️⃣Can Text Messages Be Traced after They are Erased?
Text messages can only be traced if you unconsciously or ignorantly give the go-ahead. That is, if you don’t accept a location request, click a link that compromises your location, send a MMS message that contains hints about where you are, or have installed apps that jeopardize your privacy, the text message can’t be traced.
2️⃣How to Find Out Where a Text Message Was Sent from an iPhone?
Are you receiving text messages from an unknown number and want to know who the person is? TraceU has a “find out who’s texting me” feature that can provide full information about an unknown number.
TraceU will conduct a reverse look-up on the phone number and present you with information like the person’s name, email address, location, social media accounts, and many more.
3️⃣Can Someone Track My Location from WhatsApp?
Yes, your location can be tracked from WhatsApp. Just like some social networking apps (Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and Snapchat), WhatsApp has a location feature that allows you to share where you are with people. Although, the time duration is limited to 15 minutes, 1 hour, and 8 hours.
