A growing segment of the cell phone market is the 8-12 year old age group. About 41 percent of kids in this age group own a cell phone in the United States, according to MSNBC citing the Yankee Group. Although some parents may feel kids this age don’t have to own of a cell phone, one way to quell a security concern is to add a GPS personal location service. While various hardware devices are available for GPS tracking, the service can also come directly from your cell phone carrier without the need of additional equipment. Once you have a cell phone that already has GPS technology built in, you just need software to go with it.
For those who are using Android phones, the following instructions should apply no matter who made your phone: Samsung, Google, Huawei, Xiaomi, etc.
Sprint Family Locator
One option available to parents is the Sprint Family Locator. For $5 a month (with the first 15 days free), parents can view the real-time location of four phones on interactive satellite maps from any Internet-enabled PC or mobile phone. With Sprint, a security check will send you a text message when your kids arrive at certain places based on a preset time and location, and when it comes to location accuracy, Sprint says, “You’ll always get the best location fix.” possible location given the conditions. When phones are located,
- The phone is inside a building or a car.
- The phone is surrounded by tall buildings, hills, canyons, or trees.
- The phone is near large, reflective surfaces (for example, lakes or ponds).
- The phone is off. The phone must be on.
- The phone battery has run out.
- The phone is not in a Sprint network coverage area.
Sprint Family Locator is compatible with all Sprint and Nextel phones with built-in GPS technology. A demo video of the service can be viewed here.
Kajeet GPS Locator
While Sprint is a major provider of cell phones for all kinds of consumers, Kajeet is in business to specifically target parents who want a variety of wireless options for kids. After your first free month, the Kajeet feature costs $9.99 per month. Along with locating a phone for your children, you can even set automatic checks with Kajeet. Kajeet allows parents to check phone locations online. You can also receive automated emails with phone locations at specific times of the day. While parents can use GPS tracking to ensure the safety of their children, they can also track elderly parents and their own siblings.
GPS Tracking on Verizon Wireless, Alltel Wireless
Verizon Wireless and Alltel Wireless offer similar GPS services for $9.99 per month. Verizon Wireless Chaperone 2.0 works in conjunction with VZ Navigator (the company’s GPS service) on up to four cell phones. Alltel’s service is called Alltel Family Finder, and Verizon Wireless’ GPS tracker even lets parents set “Child Zones” as geographic boxes around places (say, a friend’s house). In conjunction with the National Sex Offender Registry, Sprint even offers a free service called Family Watchdog. This service sends a text message to parents if a registered sex offender moves into her neighborhood.