How to Track Someone’s Location Through Facebook Messenger

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.

Track Someone’s Location through Facebook Messenger

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.

Location Sharing

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.

1. Open Facebook Messenger. Message the person you wish to share your location with.
2. Tap on the four dots icon at the bottom-left part of your screen. If you’re on iOS, the four dots should appear as a plus sign.
3. Tap on the arrow that says ‘Location’.
4. Select ‘Share Live Location’ option.

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.

#Hashtags and Location Tags

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.

Option 1: Check Facebook Stories

1. Open Facebook Messenger. Tap ‘People’ at the bottom right, then tap on ‘Stories’ at the top right corner.
2. You will see Stories uploaded from your friends list. Tap on a story you’d like to view.
3. If there is a location tag in one of the stories, tap on it. Select ‘Show Location’.
4. You will be redirected to Google Maps, where you’ll be able to see the details of their current location.

Note: If you’d like to use Facebook instead, you can view Stories on the upper part of the home page.

Option 2: Uploaded Pictures or Videos

1. Open the Facebook app. Tap on the search bar on top of the page.
2. Search for your friend’s name, then click on their profile.
3. Scroll down along their feed and search for their most recent uploads, whether it’s a video or a photo.
4. If there is a location tag, tap on the location. You will be redirected to a Facebook page that shows you more information about the place.

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.

Nearby Friends

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:

1. Open the Facebook app. Turn on Location Services and Background Location. Read here to learn more about how Location Settings work.
2. Tap the three-line menu on your phone. For Android users, this is in the top right corner. For iOS users, it’s at the bottom right.
3. Tap Nearby Friends. Select ‘Get Started’.
4. You will see a pop-up screen where you can control your privacy settings. Choose to share location with all your friends, or with specific people. Tap ‘Next’ once you’re done setting this up.
5. Tap the sliding switch to turn on Nearby Friends. To turn it off, simply tap the same icon again.

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.

Track Someone’s Location Using Third-Party Apps

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.

Generate a tracking URL

1. Go to the Grabify IP Logger website. Enter any URL link (for example: youtube.com).
2. Click ‘Create URL’. A pop-up box will appear to ask for your consent. Click ‘I agree & Create URL’.
3. You will be redirected to a new page where you will see a new URL generated for you. Copy this link.
4. Use this link to send it to your friend or family on Facebook Messenger.

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.

Wrapping Up

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.