What if you can locate a phone by its IP address? If you’ve lost your phone or want to track your loved ones by their devices, you might ask this question. Knowing your device’s IP address is also helpful in troubleshooting various network issues. Fortunately, this guide will help you fully understand the role of the IP address. We will also walk you through all the practical and effective methods for finding your missing phone.
Can you really find a phone by IP address?
Yes, but it’s not precisely as straightforward. You should be aware that an IP address is a unique numerical label assigned to your device on a network. It serves as a return address for digital mail and remains accessible as long as you’re online. Generally, your device has two IP addresses.
- First, there is the public IP address (or global IP address), which is how the internet sees any device on your network. This IP address is specific and will remain the same, regardless of whether you’re using your phone, desktop, or any other device, as long as it’s connected to that network.
- Second is the private IP address, also known as a local IP address, which is used to identify different devices within a network.
Ultimately, locating your smartphone by its IP address requires additional tools, apps, and methods, which we will discuss below.
How to find your phone’s IP address?
Before you can locate your phone by its IP address, consider finding it first. Fortunately, many apps on your smartphone store a copy of this address. Here are some fantastic ways to locate your smartphone’s IP address.
On your iPhone & Android
If you still have access to your smartphone, you can easily access the information on its local IP address within the settings menu. Here’s how:
On your Android phone:
- Go to Settings and then scroll down to “Network & Internet”
- Next, click on “Wi-Fi”. If you’re using Android 12, then you’ll have to click “Instead” instead.
- If you’re not already connected to your Wi-Fi network, tap its name and join.
- Next, tap the network and expand the Advanced section.
- Now go to “Network Details” and you’ll find your IP address information.
On iPhone
- Go to “Settings” and then “Wi-Fi”
- If you’re not already connected to a ‘Wi-Fi” network, tap on its name and connect now.
- Now tap the network’s name again to expand its options.
- Scroll down and you’ll see the IP address field listed under the IP header.
Track IP address in Gmail
Your Gmail inbox automatically retrieves any emails set for your account. Hence, if you’ve logged into your Gmail account on your smartphone and used it, you can log in again via the web and view the activities done on your phone, along with its unique identifiers. Note, however, that this would reveal your public IP address.
To use this method:
- Log in to your Gmail account via the web.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the web interface to the account activity pane, located in the bottom right.
- Click on “Details.”
- Now, you can see the different places you’re logged in, including your phone and its IP address.
Use Dropbox
Many cloud services, such as Dropbox, also log the IP addresses of your devices. Hence, you can also use your Dropbox account to find the IP address of your smartphone if the app is installed on the phone. All you need to do is:
- Log in to your account via the Dropbox website.
- Click on your profile avatar and then go to ‘Settings”
- Next, select the “Security” tab and go down to the device section.
- Hover over the specific device to view its IP address.
Check Evernote
Like Dropbox, your Evernote app also keeps a record of the IP address of all devices connected to it. Again, you need to have used the Evernote app on your smartphone beforehand. Next, you can log into your Evernote account on the web and follow these steps:
- Go to “Account Settings”
- Next, click on “Security Summary”
- Finally, “Access History”
- You can view a detailed log of your account activity, including the IP address associated with each login.
Check the router’s connected device list
This is the most authoritative method for finding the private IP addresses on your network. However, it all depends on accessing your router and its IP address. Here’s how to use this approach
- First, ensure your smartphone is connected to your router using the first method we discussed.
- Just as you found your private IP in the first method, scroll down to where you see “Router” (Router address is usually something like 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1)
- Type that number into a web browser or device connected to that same router. Press Enter.
- It goes directly to your router’s admin panel. There, you need to log in.
- Navigate to the Settings Menu”
- Then go to the “Attached Devices,” “DHCP Client List,” or “Network Map.”
- There, you’ll find all connected devices, including their names, MAC addresses, and private IP addresses.
How to locate a phone by its IP address
Now that you know the IP address, there are IP location tracking tools available to streamline the process. However, you should always bear in mind that tracking with IP addresses is only accurate to the City level. IP location tracking tools may not always provide accurate information on the exact geographical location.
IP location
iPLocation is a known geolocating app that can help you find the IP address of your smartphone. It’s so good that it automatically detects even the device you use to reach that website. Here’s how it works;
- Go to the IPlocation website.
- Locate the IP Location Finder tab and enter the address.
- Click the “IP lookup” button.
- Wait for the results.
Geolocation
Geolocation is also another excellent tool for tracking a phone using its IP address. This tool will also locate the city and estimate the geographical coordinates of that lost device. To begin:
- Go to the Geolocation website.
- Type in the IP address and hit the “Search” button.
- You’ll find the estimated country, state, city, and other information.
Keycdn
KeyCDN can also map the IP address to the geographic location of that connected device. KeyCDN would also provide additional details, such as your network provider and more. To use this tool:
- Go to the KeyCDN website.
- Type in the IP address and select the “Find” button.
- Wait for the result.
Alternative ways to find a phone by IP address
To locate a phone by IP address, you must already have the IP address. That said, sometimes it isn’t enough to fully pinpoint the geographical location of that device. Here, we will discuss tools you can use to enhance accuracy.
IP tracker by number
LocatePhone’s IP tracker helps you leverage the phone number of a missing device to map its precise real-time data. You’ll love how this location tracking tool combines IP, GPS, Wi-Fi, and carrier data to compile all the information you need. That way, it automatically maps the real-time geographical location of that missing smartphone and will aid a speedy recovery. Here’s how you can use it:
- Go to LocatePhone IP tracker
- Enter the phone number linked to that phone.
- Click the “IP tracking” button.
- Enter your email address to complete your account creation and access the information you need.
Inbuilt lost phone finder
Your smartphone also has an inbuilt phone finder that helps you pinpoint its last known location. Typically, this depends on your Google or iCloud account to work. On Android, this service is called the Find My Device service. When you’ve enabled location services beforehand and set up this feature, you can use it to locate and recover your lost device. Here’s how:
- Go to the Google Find My Device website or use it on another smartphone.
- Log in to the Google account connected to your missing device.
- You should see all your connected devices.
- Click on the missing one to see its location displayed on the map.
- You can also use this tool to make the missing phone ring, lock it, or even remotely delete all the data contained in it. Note that once you delete, your Google Find My account will also automatically disconnect from that phone.
IMEI-based tracking
Your smartphone’s IMEI is also a unique identifier. Hence, you can also use that number to track its location. That said, tools like LocatePhone would combine IMEI with GPS, Wi-FI, and carrier data to help improve the speed of recovering your lost device. You can achieve all this without technical skills or installing any app. Here’s how it works:
- Go to LocatePhone IMEI tracker
- Enter the phone number associated with that device.
- Click the “locate” button.
FAQ
Can you find out who a device belongs to based on the IP address?
No, you can’t find the name of a person or their specific street address from an IP address alone. IP address lookups usually reveal information about the country, city, or region where the IP is registered, as well as estimated geographical coordinates.
Can someone track my location by IP address?
Yes, someone can track your approximate location using your IP address. However, it’s not a precise method for pinpointing the physical address. IP address tracing typically reveals the country, state, or city where the IP is located. Finding your location depends on how your internet service provider routes your traffic, whether you’re using a VPN or proxy server.
Can you tell if someone is tracking your IP?
Generally, you can’t tell if someone is tracking your IP. Websites you visit, email senders, apps, and other online services collect your IP address without your knowledge, especially for analyzing their website traffic, serving targeted ads, or troubleshooting network issues. However, if your IP address is used for malicious purposes, you may notice some signs. They usually include unstable internet connections, unfamiliar devices connected to your Wi-Fi, or receiving strange notifications.
Conclusion
There are many excellent tools available to help you locate your phone by its IP address. However, remember that IP address tracking isn’t always entirely accurate. It’s better used for confirming the city, network provider, and other critical details about that smartphone. And when IP location tracking isn’t enough, you can rely on your smartphone’s built-in tracker or tools like LocatePhone for assistance. Ultimately, you can improve your chances of recovering your lost device.
