Tracking a cell phone can be very helpful to find a lost or stolen
phone. If you own a company, you can know where your employees are using
a tracking app. If you are concerned about the safety of a child or a
loved one, you can also know where they exactly are at all times.
However, there are some disadvantages associated with tracking a cell
phone that might make you wonder if it is really as beneficial as it may
sound.
First of all, there is the privacy concern associated with tracking
someone’s phone. Some people might be tracked while they are unaware of
it. Even if you are tracking an employee who is using a company’s phone,
this doesn’t give you the right to track them off hours. Consent is
vital and people should be aware if they are being tracked.
Also, installing a tracking app on someone’s phone could be considered as a crime that violates people’s privacy. Some of these apps allow you to log into a device’s memory and gain access to different apps and media files. Some of these apps will allow you to check messages, call logs, IM apps and pictures or videos. You might be even able to erase off data or to remotely control the phone camera. If you are doing this to find out who is using your own phone, it could be a little bit justified but if you are using these features on someone’s phone, then you are gaining access to personal information that you shouldn’t be viewing. This could be considered as a crime under some laws.
Tracking your phone via GPS is very useful in locating and finding your lost phone, but is not always efficient and beneficial. This feature only works if you have access to a computer with internet connection, if your device has got a functioning battery and if it is connected to the internet. If any of these conditions don’t apply, GPS tracking will be useless. You might not be able to accurately locate your mobile especially if your phone is located in an area that has bad network reception. Moreover, GPS features do tend to drain your mobile battery so you might be emptying your battery more often if you have these features on at all times.
Using your cell phone as a tracking device to locate your stolen or lost car for example can be a cheaper option than installing GPS to your car. But it could be a little bit tricky. If your phone is found, it might be another cherry on top of the theft of your car. It must be set to silent mode so that it can’t be found. You also need to keep your mobile working at all times. You should connect it to the car battery so that it can work whether your car is functioning or not.