In today’s digital age, our lives are connected more than ever.
Social media, such as Facebook Messenger, has tons of features that allow us to share photos, call people, play games, transfer files… the list goes on.
On top of that, it’s now possible to track someone’s location through Facebook Messenger. This might have sounded impossible in the past. But now, all you need is the Facebook Messenger app.
This is particularly helpful if you’re a parent since you may need to keep an eye on your kids to make sure they’re safe.
Or imagine you’re meeting up with a friend, or you’re picking someone up—you can see how this feature might become a lifesaver.
In this article, we will show you how to do that in simple and easy steps.
Tracking someone’s location using Facebook Messenger doesn’t require a lot of skill. You can quickly see where your husband is, where your wife is, or whoever.
All you need is to download the free Facebook Messenger app on your phone.
Once you have this, follow the steps below to track someone’s location using Facebook Messenger.
The location sharing feature is the easiest way to share location with your friends. It saves time and effort to track someone’s location to see where they are.
From there, you will see your contact’s current location on the Messenger chat screen. You can stop sharing your live location anytime; just tap ‘Stop Sharing‘.
Bonus tip: For meet-ups, it’s useful to share a static point. For example, your friend may share their location so you can come over to where they are.
In this case, tap the location icon or ‘More’. Search the place you wish to share, or simply drag and drop the arrow pin on the map. Tap ‘Send’ to share it on Messenger.
This is a great solution for tracking your wife’s phone if she’s one of those people who is always misplacing things.
An indirect way of checking someone’s location is by utilizing Facebook’s location tag or #hashtags.
There are 2 ways to go about this: check their Stories, or check the photo or video they have uploaded on their Facebook feed.
For the latter option, you may also use Facebook on your desktop or phone.
Note: If you’d like to use Facebook instead, you can view Stories on the upper part of the home page.
For #hashtags, repeat the same process as above. But this time look out for the hashtags.
Unlike location tags, hashtags won’t pinpoint the exact location or reveal the person’s current location.
But it may give you some hints. That’s why for this step, it’s necessary to use Google for some extra research.
Ultimately, keep in mind that both options are not as reliable or effective as the first one. The person might have shared an incorrect location or moved to a different place. Also, note that Facebook Stories last for 24 hours only.
This feature allows you to share locations with your friends whenever they’re near you. Using this feature requires you to turn on your location history.
For this location tracking method, you will need to use the Facebook app.
Once you have it installed on your smartphone, follow the steps below to track someone’s location:
Once this location feature is activated, you’ll be able to see your friends who are also using this feature. Your friends list will be shown according to location, starting from those who are nearest to you.
The Facebook Messenger button beside their name allows you to easily chat or call your friends, and share your location.
Based on what we’ve seen so far, tracking someone’s location on Facebook Messenger is easy without costing any money.
However, the downside is that this requires direct action from a person. For example, they have to share their live location or activate extra features.
We’ve also learned that location tracking isn’t exactly reliable. For instance, location tags or hashtags found in Facebook Stories expire after 24 hours. Photos or videos uploaded may contain incorrect or outdated information.
That’s when third-party applications come in. While some require you to pay (such as KidsGuard Pro, mSpy), free websites such as IPLogger and Grabify IP Logger are one of the easiest to use that offer a more reliable tracking option.
But keep in mind that this method is less consensual and borders on privacy invasion unless there’s a good reason for it.
Once your friend clicks on the generated link from your messages, you will be able to view the statistics by IP address, country or city, device used, etc. on the Grabify IP Logger site.
In this article, we have shared various ways to track someone using Facebook Messenger.
These methods are quick and easy for anyone to use to track their kids, or find out where someone is located. All you need is Facebook Messenger installed on your smartphone.
While one might consider tracking someone’s location necessary, keep in mind that consent and privacy are rights reserved to everyone. As such, always be careful when doing such procedures.
Jason is a work from home dad who has a passion for DIY projects, yard work, and SEC Football. His background is IT, but he's always fancied himself as a part-time ship welder, landscaper, and short order cook. During the week he can be found on his laptop 10 hours-a-day, but on the weekends he escapes to the local DIY Cave to play with REAL toys. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and can contact him via email.