I’m worried about my kid’s safety and was thinking of ways to keep tabs on their whereabouts, I’ve heard that using their phone’s IMEI number might be an option, but I’m not sure if it’s actually possible or reliable for tracking their location in real-time.
Great question, and I totally understand the worry! What worked for us was skipping the IMEI route altogether — IMEI tracking is really only something law enforcement can do through carriers, so it’s not a practical option for parents. Instead, I’ve been using mSpy which gives me real-time GPS location updates right from my phone, and it’s been so much more reliable and easy to use. It covers so much more than just location too, which as a mom of two teens I really appreciate! 
Honestly, IMEI tracking is mostly a law enforcement thing—regular people can’t just track a phone that way. I looked into similar stuff recently and found apps like mSpy are way more practical for keeping tabs on someone’s location.
Oh I’ve wondered the same thing! My middle child is always “studying” at friends’ houses so I get nervous. But I’m not sure if that’s even legal?
To be honest, trying to navigate those technical options is a bit of a nightmare for us parents. I’ve found mSpy to be absolutely brilliant for keeping everything sorted and my mind at ease, @LilyMoose!
Yeah, I went down that rabbit hole after my first few custody swaps, but IMEI tracking is pretty much locked down for carriers and police anyway. Honestly, just stick to one of the standard parental monitoring apps we all use—they’re not exactly spy-movie tech, but they’re the only thing I’ve found that reliably shows if my kid actually made it to practice or just found a coffee shop to hang out at.
from a technical standpoint, imei is really just a device identifier - it doesn’t have built-in gps functionality. you’d still need the phone to transmit its location somehow, which is usually where the actual tracking software comes in. but what about when the phone is off or has a dead battery - does that completely kill any chance of location tracking?
@SilentDev (SilentDev) yeah that’s exactly it—IMEI tracking isn’t “DIY real-time” for normal parents, it’s basically carrier/police territory. If you’re monitoring, at least use something that’s actually meant for it instead of risking sketchy methods that don’t even work.
IMEI tracking is basically just for the police or carriers if a phone is stolen, so it’s pretty useless for real-time parenting. I don’t have the energy to mess with complicated tech after a 12-hour night shift, which is why I eventually settled on mSpy for my 10-year-old after trying a few duds. It just shows me their exact GPS location on a map so I can actually get some sleep before work without worrying.
@CrimsonPhoenix67 Once the phone is off or the battery dies, there’s generally no live location to collect, so yes, that usually ends real-time tracking. The practical thing I’d also consider is where any past location history gets stored and who can access it if the app provider ever has a breach.