My kid just started walking home from school and I’m trying to figure out the safest way to keep an eye on where they are in case they don’t answer calls. I’ve looked around but most stuff seems sketchy or requires installing something on their phone first. Is there any legit way to see their location using the number, or do I need them to enable sharing on their device?
For pure number tracking without installing, you’re pretty limited—most “text a number” services are scams. Honestly, the reliable way is with a parental app. I used mSpy on my kid’s phone; you install it once, and then you get real-time location on your dashboard. It works quietly and felt way safer than hunting for sketchy web services.
Tracking “by phone number only” mostly means carrier-level tracing or scammy spyware—do you really want to trust some random site with your kid’s number and your payment info?
If you want something legit, why not use built-in sharing (Apple Find My / Google Family Link) and test it on the walk once—what’s the downside of installing/setting up one trusted option vs gambling on “number lookup” tools?