Can You Track a Phone That Is Turned Off? Signs and Prevention Methods

Tracking your phone can be handy in case you lose it, but it also raises concerns about how cybercriminals and authorities may take advantage of this feature. To prevent third parties from tracking your movement, you need to take actionable steps.

What first comes to mind is turning the phone off to shut down the signal it sends. But is that enough? Can you still track a phone that is turned off? In this article, we’ll answer your questions and present practical ways for keeping your location private.

If You Turn Your Phone Off, Can It Be Tracked?

Generally, no, a phone can’t be tracked if you turn it off. By shutting it off, you cut the signal it transmits to cell towers, GPS satellites, and Wi-Fi networks. When there’s no radio activity, there’s no live connection to trace.

However, the last known location before shutdown may still be stored and accessible to your mobile carrier or, with proper authorization, law enforcement.

The catch here is that some modern phones can be tracked hours after you turn them off. This is because these devices have a low-power “offline finding” hardware network that can report a location for a certain amount of time after shutdown or while they’re in power-reserve mode. These networks use wireless technology like Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to transmit location information to nearby devices, which then relay the data to a server.

This feature can be helpful if you misplace your phone, but it’s not so great when it exposes your movements to unwanted prying eyes.

Which Phones Can Be Located When Turned Off?

While modern smartphones offer countless advanced features, older cell phones and dumb phones often have the upper hand in terms of privacy. They lack low-power tracking chips, consistent background connections, and sensors that make modern phones easily trackable.

Here’s a list of popular phones that share your location even after you turn them off.

Can Your Phone Be Tracked if You Turn Off Location?

It may seem logical that turning off the location services on your phone can get you off the grid, but it’s not that simple. Your phone can still be tracked if you disable location tracking.

Turning off the location services only stops apps and systems from using your GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates, but your smartphone can disclose your location through other signals, such as:

• • Cell tower triangulation
• • Wi-Fi networks
• • IP address
• • App permissions
• • Bluetooth beacons

Although these methods may not be as precise as using GPS, they can still roughly pinpoint your position within a few hundred meters.

Can Police Track Your Phone If It's Turned Off?

The police generally can’t track your phone once it’s turned off. As long as a phone is disconnected from all networks, its real-time location remains unknown. What they have the authority to do is request a mobile carrier to disclose your last known location.

Removing the SIM card can help resolve this issue to some extent, but your phone may still be trackable. Internal mechanisms, such as BLE, continue broadcasting a small identifying signal for a short time, allowing the police to estimate your proximity.

Signs That Your Phone Is Being Tracked

It’s pretty unsettling that hackers and cyberattackers could be monitoring your movement and abusing your location data. They can misuse this information for targeted scams, sell the data, or invade your privacy in other ways.

Even some apps take advantage of location data. In fact, a study by Incogni revealed that around 13.4% of apps share users’ approximate location, while 3.85% disclose the precise location.

Knowing how to detect if your phone is being tracked enables you to spot suspicious activity early on and take prompt action.

Here are some common signs that can help you stay alert:

1. 1. Unusually fast battery drain
2. 1. Unexpected data usage
3. 1. Overheating
4. 1. Random activity
5. 1. Suspicious apps

Unusually Fast Battery Drain

If you notice that your phone’s battery is running out faster than normal, this can be an early sign of unwanted tracking. This is because tracking apps are continuously running in the background and consuming more power than your usual activity does.

You can actually check if your phone is overusing battery in your device's settings, just to be sure. Here’s how:

Bear in mind that a fast-draining battery isn’t always caused by tracking. Things like software updates or multiple apps running in the background could also have that effect.

Unexpected Data Usage

Malware must remain connected constantly to transmit information. As it sends your location or other personal data to an external source, you may notice a sudden spike in data usage. Unless you’ve changed your app habits, this could be a red flag.

To check if this is happening, go to Settings, and check if your data usage is different than usual. You should also take a look at which apps are using the most data. Unexpected high usage from apps that you don’t use much could indicate that someone is collecting information without your knowledge.

Overheating

As the spyware runs in the background, using your GPS and working hard to collect data, it generates extra heat, which could make your phone feel like a hot potato. If you notice that your smartphone is getting unusually hot or you receive a temperature warning, that could be a sign of wrongdoing.

Random Activity

When malware takes over, it could initiate activities without your input. For example, you may notice that your phone keeps restarting or shutting down on its own.

Sometimes those programs require a reboot to make updates or change settings, and they’ll do it without your consent. In the case of real updates, though, you’ll usually receive a notification afterward, explaining what was updated or changed. If you don’t get notified after rebooting, it could be a sign of malware.

The silver lining here is that such suspicious activities could actually reveal that you’re under attack.

Suspicious Apps

If you notice unfamiliar apps that you don’t remember installing, they could be malware. However, some malicious apps hide their icon so you can’t spot them so easily. In that case, you can go to settings to review installed apps. Even spyware must show up there, disguised as regular apps. So, be sure to uninstall all the unfamiliar ones.

How To Protect Your Phone From Being Tracked: 8 Proven Methods

The best way to keep your location unknown is to turn off your phone. However, that’s not always the option.

Luckily, there are other ways to minimize your digital footprint. To protect your privacy and prevent your personal data from being abused, here’s what you can do:

1. 1. Review app permissions
2. 1. Update the operating system
3. 1. Keep the location services off
4. 1. Clear location history
5. 1. Use a VPN when connecting to public Wi-Fi
6. 1. Download apps only from official app stores
7. 1. Regularly review apps
8. 1. Consider a privacy-first mobile carrier

1. Review App Permissions

Restrict location access to apps that don’t need it, and always think critically about whether the app that requests location information truly requires it to function. You should also review the permissions you have already granted in your Settings, under App location permissions on Android or Location Services on iOS, in case you’ve accidentally allowed access in the past.

2. Update the Operating System

Phone updates can come with new and improved security measures. That’s why you should always update your operating system when suggested. This way, you can ensure that the software is keeping up with ever-evolving threats.

3. Keep the Location Services Off

Location tracking is most commonly done through GPS tracking. A good privacy practice is to enable location services only when absolutely necessary. For example, you can switch it on while you’re using maps or navigation apps, and then turn it off again as soon as you’re done.

4. Clear Location History

Google and Apple accounts store your location data to improve their services and personalize your experience. However, this also opens up a possibility for someone else to access that information. To prevent this, delete your location history regularly.

5. Use a VPN When Connecting to Public Wi-Fi

Since public networks are typically unsecured, it’s easier for hackers to monitor your location and activity. If you’re connecting to a public Wi-Fi network, use a virtual private network (VPN) to mask your IP address and hide it from anyone who may try to intercept your data.

6. Download Apps Only From Official App Stores

Many sketchy and unverified websites attempt to lure consumers with free apps that are actually malware in disguise. To avoid falling in this trap, download and install only verified apps from Google Play and Apple’s App Store, or explore secure alternatives like the Accrescent App Store.

7. Regularly Review Apps

Make it a habit to review your list of apps in Settings to ensure that unfamiliar ones haven’t popped up. If you’d like to streamline this process, you can use antivirus or anti-malware tools that can scan your phone for suspicious apps.

8. Consider a Privacy-First Mobile Carrier

Traditional mobile carriers collect and store your location and other sensitive personal information. While this is an essential part of how they operate, it also means vast amounts of data are centralized in one place, creating vulnerabilities.

This makes big telcos prime targets for cyberattacks and data breaches. In 2024 alone, several major carriers, including Verizon and AT&T, experienced at least five data breaches that exposed the information of millions of users.

Luckily, for some carriers, data security is not a compromise; to ensure your information remains protected, switch to a privacy-first carrier like Cape. We minimize data collection and prioritize privacy by never collecting or storing your precise location, ensuring that your movements and personal information remain private.

Meet Cape: The Secure Carrier Designed for Today’s Threats

Traditional carriers collect detailed records of your calls, texts, and locations. That data becomes a liability—fueling surveillance, breaches, and leaks.

Cape takes a different approach. We’re a privacy-first carrier that collects only the bare minimum required to keep your service running. What little data is necessary is stored briefly, never shared, and never sold. With less data to compromise, you’re better protected from the start. You can read the full Cape privacy policy here.

At the core of our network is Cape’s own cloud-native, software-based mobile core. A mobile core is the backbone of a cellular network that controls the complex systems to connect people across endpoints. By running our own network, Cape can control how data flows through your device and implement modern security protocols.

Other security-first features of Cape include:

Bonus: Follow this blog to read up on how Cape avoids major telecom vulnerabilities.

Cape offers all the benefits of a premium carrier, even with the added security and privacy safeguards. At $99/month (taxes and fees included, no hidden costs), you get:

• • Unlimited 4G and 5G with fast speeds
• • Unlimited talk and text
• • Free international roaming (for eligible countries and devices)

Get the Cape-Level Protection To Secure Your Communications

You can sign up for Cape using our anonymous onboarding process here.

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