Android Smartphones are deeply integrated into our daily lives. They are helpful in various ways and can be used by nearly anybody. For instance, an employee can provide android smartphones to facilitate efficient communication to and from the employees. Additionally, parents can also use smartphones to keep close contact with their kids and perform other parental controls. Whichever the purpose, there comes a need when you want to track what your employees are doing, how your kids are coping, and even know the whereabouts of people you care about. For this purpose, you need the best Android tracking apps.
Table of Content
Why use Android Tracking app
Tracking helps you know what your employees are doing, what your kids are up to, and you can even know the location of the target device. This also reveals the location of your employees, kids, and people you care for. Tracking also helps solve the problem of lying and giving the target individual a sense of total supervision. This way, you do not have to supervise your employees 24/7. You can do it remotely. Also, for parental control, the tracking apps help protect your kids from various threats and risks, especially from the internet. You can also stipulate what type of apps they use, what sites they visit, and achieve a lot more when protecting your kids in this harmful digital environment.
Pros and cons of the best Android tracking app
Pros
- Remotely track the target devices
- Monitor calls on the target devices
- Intercept texts on the target device
- Always know the whereabouts of the target device
- Gives you control and peace of mind
- Increase the productivity of employees
Cons
- The apps can be pricey
- Some functionalities require root
- The target individuals can be secretive
What to consider when choosing an Android Tracking app
Depending on your tracking purpose and preference, you might not get a suitable app that fits your needs. Here is what to consider for the most helpful android tracking app.
- Stealth mode: The target individual should never know that you are tracking them. They might pretend, and you will not get accurate results from the tracking endeavor. The best android tracking apps should work in stealth and never raise suspicion to the target user.
- Ease of Use: From the dashboard to the app, the best tracking apps should be straightforward and easy to use. The dashboard should present results neatly, offer tools, and functionalities that enable customizations and offer you the ability to control what you want to see on the target device. Additionally, the app should be easy to install and avoid the need for root or jailbreak.
- Compatibility: The best Android tracking app must be compatible with the latest version of Android, a wide range of android devices, and work with the earlier versions of Android. This enables you to track both the latest and earliest devices that run on Android.
- Impeccable features: Besides geo-tracking, the best android tracking apps should also offer other functionalities. The common one includes the ability to monitor phone calls, SMS, instant messages, emails, and even social media. You should also view files on the target devices, including videos, photos, and what the user is sharing online. You should also be able to block websites, and the dashboard should straightforwardly present the information.
- Customer Support: Customer support ensures you get the most value out of the tracking app. Customer support may help you when dealing with various issues such as billing, installations, offer how-to guides, tutorials, and even troubleshooting guides. The best Android tracking apps should feature the best customer service.
Best Android Tracking Apps
Through thorough testing and consideration of the above factors, here are the best Android tracking apps.
1. mSpy – The unrivaled Android tracking app
Price: $16.66/month (1 year premium plan), $39.99/month (3 months premium plan), $69.99/month (Monthly premium plan), and $29.99/month (Monthly basic plan)
mSpy is a top-notch Android tracking app, which doubles as a smartphone monitoring app and a parental control app. This app can efficiently track your employees, people you care for, and most importantly, it is very useful when tracking and monitoring your kids. Hence, it is suitable for employers, parents, and guardians, and other individuals who want to keep tabs on people they care for.
This Android tracking app sports various impeccable features, functionalities, and an amazing reporting dashboard. mSpy features include; ability to monitor and restrict incoming calls, track and view received and sent SMS, offer geofencing, and can track the current location of the target device. Additionally, you can manage applications in the target devices, and there is a key logger to record all the keystrokes performed on the target device. mSpy also gives you the ability to read emails, view files, photos and videos, calendar, contact, and monitor all the internet activities. This app can also read messages from various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Facebook Messenger, iMessage, Skype, Telegram, Hangouts, Tinder, Line, Viber, Kik, and Instagram.
mSpy is straightforward and easy to use. Once you have a subscription and an account, you will be able to log into your dashboard or control panel. This is where you will track. Monitor and view the report from the target device. Installation of the app is also an easy task. All you need is fully physical access of the target device, with the owner’s permission, download the mSpy app, follow the onscreen prompts and installation will be done.
Pros
- Advanced tracking features
- Does not need root
- Packs excellent features
- Straightforward to use
- Can be used as a parental control app
- Incredible service and support
Cons
- Pricey plans
2. Spyzie – The all in one Android tracking app
Price: $29.99/month (monthly basic plan), $49.99/month (3 months basic plan), $39.99/month (monthly pro plan), $69.99/month (3 months pro plan), $49.99/month (monthly ultimate plan), $79.99/month (3 months ultimate plan)
Spyzie is also one of the best Android tracking apps that tracks everything you want on the target device. Besides monitoring and tracking, Spyzie also offers excellent parental controls for parents and guardians. This all in one android tracking app can also be used to track anyone from employees to people you care about. It is also compatible with most Android smartphones and versions.
Its features and functionalities include the ability to monitor social media activities by capturing text messages and screenshots on WhatsApp and Facebook. It can also monitor Snapchat, Kik, Line, Viber, Skype, WeChat, Tinder, QQ, Tumblr, Telegram, and Instagram. It can also track received and sent SMS and download attachments. You can monitor incoming and outgoing calls, get full information on contacts, and also get to know the date, time, and duration of a call. Spyzie also supports geo-tracking, shows the history of visited places, and you can use the Google Map view. From the dashboard, you can export data, view pictures, and use a key logger. There is a timeline to show all activities of the target devices, and Spyzie periodically sends alerts such as deleted items and suspicious contacts.
The latest version offers accurate real-time monitoring, an upgraded warning, and detection mechanism for abnormal behavior, and draws less power for the target device. Besides the usability, tracking with Spyzie is an easy task. You need to register an account, connect the target device, and start tracking. Spyzie does not need root to start tracking.
Pros
- Easy to use dashboard
- Excellent features
- Great service
- Does not need root
- Can be used as a parental control app
Cons
- Pricey plans
- The basic plan does not offer much
3. XNSPY – Powerful Android tracking features
Price: $4.99/month (yearly basic plan), $7.49/month (yearly premium plan), $13.99/month (quarterly plan), $19.99/month (quarterly premium plan), $29.99/month (monthly basic plan), $35.99/month (monthly premium plan)
XNSPY is a must-have android tracking app. This app also doubles as a parental control app as well as an employee surveillance app, with XNSPY, you can perform real-time tracking and monitoring on your kids and employees. Hence, it is suitable for parents, guardians, employers, and anybody willing to keep tabs on their dear ones.
XNSPY comes with impeccable features that ensure you do not miss any activity that takes place on the target device. It lets you monitor calls and messages by viewing call logs, text messages, and set watch lists on contacts. Other than texts, you also get access to instant messages and chats from various apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and iMessage, Viber, Kik, Snapchat, Skype, Tinder, Line, and Instagram. You can also track the current location of the target device, view the location history, and monitor specific locations for alerts. Other powerful functionalities include recording and listening to the phones surrounding, key logger, view browsing activities, files, and many more.
To start tracking your target devices, subscribe to XNSPY, download and install XNSPY on the target device, and finally start tracking using the online dashboard. To get access to the more powerful features such as surround listening, you may need to root the target devices.
Pros
- Powerful tracking features
- Can function without root
- Can double as a parental control app
- Remote installation support
- It has a great customer support
Cons
- Some features require rooting
- One plan monitors a single device
4. FamiSafe – The reliable Parental control app
Price: $4.99/month (1-year plan), $6.66/month (quarterly plan), $9.99/month (Monthly plan)
FamiSafe is another reliable tracking app for Android. FamiSafe is more of a parental control app, and hence it is suitable for tracking and monitoring the activities of your kids. It is a more helpful tracking app for parents and guardians looking for a top-notch android tracking and parental controls app. FamiSafe is concerned about making good digital and online habits. That is, knowing about their whereabouts and protecting them against online danger.
This app has various features and functionalities. They include activity reports, which track the daily activities of the target device. This report helps you know the installed app, deleted app, and used app. This works in conjunction with the app usage and blocker feature. This gives more insight into how much time your kids spend on the app and the ability to limit them. The screen time feature helps you regulate the amount of time your kids spend on the target device. The app also lets you filter various web content, view deleted browsing history, and allow exceptions. There are also parental alerts for disturbing texts from social media, suspicious photos, and porn materials when detected. Additionally, you can set geo-fences and tracks your kid’s location in a real-time manner.
Tracking using FamiSafe is a straightforward affair. You need to register for an account and install the FamiSafe app on the target device and your device. Lastly, you can start tracking from your device’s app or FamiSafe’s online dashboard.
Pros
- No rooting required
- Great parental control features
- Easy to install and use
- Affordable pricing plans
- Supports multiple devices on a single plan
- 7-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Limited social media tracking
- Only suitable for parental control and tracking
5. Find My Device – Android default tracking app
Price: Free
Unlike the above tracking apps, Find My Device is an inbuilt or downloadable Android app. It is compatible with almost all versions of Android, as well as any Android device. This app only offers location-based tracking services. It is suitable for locating a lost or misplaced android phone. You cannot use this app to view track and monitor phone calls, SMS, chats, and other things on the target devices. To some extent, you can use to track the whereabouts of the target devices, but its limited functionalities are not appealing whatsoever.
Nevertheless, it is a useful app and comes in handy when you have misplaced or lost your device. It offers the following features. Indoor maps for airports and malls, erase data on the device, or lock it with a custom message, play a ringtone at full volume even when it is silent—a nifty feature for alerting you if you misplaced your device nearby. Additionally, you can view the battery status and hardware details of the devices. To use this app, you need an Android phone and sign in to or add your Google Account.
Pros
- Free/ inbuilt app
- Integrates well with the Android system
- Can erase data remotely
- Helpful in finding your device
Cons
- Limited functionality
- Not suitable for tracking and monitoring tasks
Conclusion
Tracking your kids or employees is necessary for this digital age. Besides knowing their whereabouts, these apps can help increase productivity for your organization.
Additionally, you will keep your kids out of online danger and instill good digital habits. The above best android tracking apps offer more than tracking services. You can also use them to monitor the activities of the target device. The apps are easy to use, and they offer the best value for your money.
FAQ
Is tracking an Android smartphone legal?
It is legal for guardians or employees to track their kid’s Android smartphones. It is also legal for employees to track their organizations’ Android smartphones. Other than need, you will need permission to track another person’s Android phone
How does an Android Tracking App Work?
Android tracking apps work by monitoring the activities on the target device, including location services. They collect various data and present it to you via an online dashboard or through the corresponding app.
Is there a free Android tracking app?
There are many free Android tracking apps out there, including the inbuilt Find My Device tracking app. However, for the best value of your money, consider the above best Android tracking apps. They are reliable and offer excellent services.
Is it necessary to root the target Android device?
Most of the above tracking apps do not need root privileges to function. However, to use powerful features such as surround listening, you need to root the target device.
Can you track an Android remotely?
Yes. You only need physical access the first time you are installing the tracking app. After that, you do not need any more physical access to it. You can do everything remotely.