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Surprising Ways Your Phone Could Be Tracked Without a SIM or WiFi Connection

Surprising Ways Your Phone Could Be Tracked Without a SIM or WiFi Connection

We’re all connected to each other on a daily basis. We use the internet, laptops, and cell phones every single day and it’s safe to say that we couldn’t really imagine our lives without them. In many ways, they’ve made life much easier. We can get hold of people wherever they are in the world and we have more access than ever to everything we need at the touch of a finger. And it’s becoming more and more normal for us all to have cell phones – even our children.

However, this can often be a positive thing. We’re able to communicate with them when they’re at school or at different activities – meaning we can check in with them to ensure they’re safe. We also have the ability to track their phones in order to keep them safe. This can give you a lot of peace of mind. But at the same time, you may be wondering can a phone be tracked without a SIM or WiFi?

In this blog post, we’re going to take a look at some of the ways a phone can be tracked even if the sim is removed. We’re going to explore some of the most common forms of tracking technology as well as some more specialist modes that will be accessible by the likes of network providers themselves and the authorities. Let’s take a look.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

First of all, it’s interesting to take a look at how the Global Positioning System (GPS) comes into play here. We mostly associate GPS with route planning technology when we’re heading on a trip. But you’ll also find that some apps will use this technology when it comes to tracking a phone’s location. This can come in handy when you’re looking to trace your child or even find your phone should it be missing.

As the GPS uses a satellite signal and not a cellular network or WiFi, it’s able to calculate a phone’s position – whether it has an active internet connection or a SIM card inserted! When using an app that stores data offline or communicates with GPS, it can provide location information, even if not in real-time, it can be traced when synced at a later date.

Bluetooth Beacons: Tracking Through Nearby Devices

However, you may find that you’re also curious about how other companies track your location, usage, or data. This is where Bluetooth technology comes in. Bluetooth can be used to track as a short-range communication tool. As such, this can also work for device tracking and location trailing.

Here, you’ll find that it’s used to ping or connect to other Bluetooth-enabled devices nearby. This is how phones that are equipped with Bluetooth are able to be detected by (and connect with) other devices nearby. This might be what you’re used to seeing when you want to share photos or information between devices or even connect to headphones or other accessories and devices.

This is how a trail of locations can be created. Even if your WiFi is off and the SIM card is out, if you’re connected to Bluetooth, devices that are nearby or connected to you will be able to create that location trail. However, this is provided that the other device is on a network itself.

You’ll also find that some retail stores and public places will use a Bluetooth beacon to track both their customer movement and behaviors. This will allow for location data to be shown, even if the phone isn’t connected to either a network or WiFi.

Offline Location History: Using Cached Data for Tracking

Our phones have the ability to track our location history at all times. As they do this, they’ll often store the location history data locally. This can sometimes be accessed at a later date when the device then reconnects to a network. Even without an active SIM card in place or the phone being connected to WiFi, many apps are still able to log movement and location. This is often with GPS as we outlined above, or using previously cached maps.

The interesting part to take note of with this process is that the data can often be obtained at a later date and retrieved for tracking purposes. Even though real-time tracking might not be possible without the SIM card in place or a WiFi connection, the cached location history will likely be intact. This then provides key clues about the phone’s movements and whereabouts.

NFC (Near Field Communication): Close-Range Tracking

Next up, we also have Near Field Communication (NFC) technology that can allow for tracking even if a phone isn’t connected to a network or WiFi. This is because it enables a close-range data exchange between devices, which is typically within a few centimeters. However, it’s important to recognize that NFC doesn’t work over a long range in the way that WiFi or GPS can.

Despite the long-distance difficulties, NFC still reveals information about a phone’s location when it interacts with another NFC-enabled device. An example that you’ll often do on a regular basis here is using contactless payments with your phone or any time that you use a scanning access point. Here, the phone’s presence is registered without there needing to be a cellular or WiFi connection.

IMEI Tracking: Locating a Phone via Its Unique Identifier

Mobile Tracker - mTracker

While this wouldn’t always be a mode of tracking that you would use personally, it’s also interesting to see the ways a phone can be tracked without a SIM or WiFi using an IMEI. The International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) is a unique identifier that’s assigned to each and every device. It’s how authorities and the network providers themselves are able to trace a phone or identify patterns of usage – without a SIM card in place or the device being connected to WiFi.

When necessary, in certain scenarios, law enforcement or phone manufacturers have the ability to access a phone’s IMEI data when it interacts with a network. This means that it can be trackable without a SIM inserted or a WiFi connection. However, this isn’t something that consumers themselves would have access to as a result.

Sensor Data and Movement Patterns: Tracking Without Network Access

There’s also a really interesting way for a phone to be tracked using sensor data. Modern smartphones come equipped with motion sensors. Examples of these are accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers – which are often used to track our steps! Essentially, they are used to track and detect both the movement of a phone and its orientation. Again, this can be a useful way that is used for tracking in certain scenarios.

Developers and securities agencies may be able to use this data to estimate a phone’s travel path or location. This can be done without network access. Although, it’s important to note that this method isn’t always as reliable or precise as GPS tracking. However, it can be useful in certain scenarios for authorities to get a picture of a phone’s location based on its movement patterns.

As with NFC and IMEI, this isn’t a method that you would look to use for tracking as you would when you download an app on your phone. But it’s reassuring to know that authorities can possibly utilize this capacity in circumstances where it’s needed.

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Final Thoughts: Can Your Phone Be Tracked Without a SIM or WiFi?

In conclusion, as we have explored in this blog post, it is clear that a phone can actually be tracked without having a SIM card inserted or the device being connected to WiFi. This can be a positive and reassuring piece of information for parents, anyone who has lost their device, or to know that you may be protected in a dangerous or stressful scenario.

When a phone has airplane mode turned on, it will disable the cellular access, WiFi, and often the Bluetooth connection too. However, some tracking features, like GPS, will still be functioning. An example of when this happens is when the airplane mode is active but the location services or Bluetooth connection remain on. This will make the phone traceable via those avenues.

It’s easy to believe that putting a phone into airplane mode will make the phone invisible – this isn’t true. Even if location services and Bluetooth are turned off, there are still other modes of tracking available. As we have seen above, there are many ways that authorities and network owners can track a phone. This is down to the technology within the phones themselves. Not all of them are available until a phone is later reconnected to a network and the data is then accessible. However, in exceptional circumstances, a phone’s whereabouts can be tracked without WiFi, a SIM card, GPS, or even Bluetooth enabled.

Ultimately, if you’re looking to track a phone, contact us and start your risk-free trial with Family Orbit today.

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Lauren May

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