current Location of mobile

Is there any way to find the current location of mobile number using Internet? I'm specifically interested in finding out a service that will accept a person's mobile number as input and then perform a search to locate the current location of the mobile on say Google maps. The only way, as far as I know, is to be able to tap into the GPS data of the user.

However, the drawback is that there can't be open access to GPS transmitter, receiver data. I'm aware that mobile phone companies do have the facility which determines the exact current location of any connected mobile device depending upon the data collected from the mobile towers the phone is currently connected to.

I asked around and found out that if one can locate the unique IP of the phone, then it's possible to determine their coordinates. But this might require the user to have GPRS, EDGE data to be enabled on the user's end. I'd appreciate your inputs.

I don't know about exact location,but if you are user of orkut then there is an application there named 'Mobile tracker' through which you can track someone's location.I hope that may help you

It is not telling the current location anything else. I tried the orkut app, but it doesn't seem to work anymore. Looks like all the users have migrated to FB. Tried searching for a location app on FB as well, but no use. I'm reminded of a feature that mobile companies had launched - track your nearest friend. Now curious to know how that service worked? Did that service require you to have GPS enabled all the time?

No one can give you the current location of a mobile number other than agencies authorized by mobile operators and permitted to by TRAI - the telecom regulatory authority of India.

there are some sites like indiatrace[dot]com who will scan the database of mobile subscribers and tell you where it is registered rather than the current location. For eg, my number is registered in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra which falls under the Maharashtra telecom circle but currently am at my home in Mumbai and the trace shows me to be in Maharashtra.

is there any specific reason you want to find the location of a particular mobile ??

I agree with you,
but in most hollywood movies we have seen that they used to trace the current location of the number by holding the phone for a minute.
for ex in bollywood movie like WEDNESDAY the same is done using the internet.
I want to ask you that whether it is possible or not.

Can we able to find the exact location of mobile with the help of IP address? I remember a student project in my college that tried to address this issue, but not sure if it was successful.

If you have imei no of mobile ,of which you want to find the location

then you can also ask your service provider to find the current location of your mobile provided your mobile

is not in switched off

Would you please eloborate what is IMEI number of mobile? Also, how can it be used to track where is the mobile currently located? All I know is that the number is unique to every device - but how do we use it to determine the current location of any mobile?

Plus, if I'm not wrong, the IMEI number only works with GSM networks. Is that correct?

how is IP address associated with a mobile phone ??

@ sunit
Imei no is an identification number for a mobile phone somewhat similar to the MAC address of a computer.
read more about it here


@goyal and sushant

as I said earlier, location identification with pinpoint accuracy is not possible. even with the tele operators, in the event of a fir and a subsequent complaint, they will look into the system trying to identify the imei and the most they can give you is the cell where the phone is being used currently.

let me give you an example, I stay in Mumbai which called as an operator circle. This Mumbai circle is divided into cells. I specifically stay in Thane and Thane itself must be having several cells as the area is large. My area is Vasant Vihar. So the tele operator will tell me that the phone has been located in Vasant Vihar, Thane.

Now, Vasant Vihar is a huge area in itself with more than 150 multistoried buildings in its vicinity. So it may be having thousands of people in the entire area. How can one detect 1 single person out of so many ??
U get my point ?

incase of a landline , it is easy to pinpoint as the phone's location is fixed and will be found in the tele operator's database. Same for ip tracing of computers too.
But for a mobile phone, it is rather difficult.

Thank you optimystix.
The link provided by you helped me alot.
One more Question,
Is it possible to change the IMEI number?

@ sushant nopes.I don't think so

imei no. is the unique id no. of mobile written at back of mobile under the battery...

yes goyal, it is very much possible to get your imei number changed on your mobile phone.. as a matter of fact, it costs only ~1100 INR to get it changed. And yes, it is illegal to do so. imei change is mostly done on stolen mobile phones.

this should work but I believe it won't be reliable in heavily populated areas. Also I think this would work only if the stolen/lost mobile phone still has the original sim and the imei. If someone has changed those then it becomes almost impossible to detect it back. As a counter to this problem, mobile companies have started coming up with some kind of inbuilt transmitter inside the phone which is independent of sim and imei change. Of course it will work as long as people do not find out a way to cut this out again

To learn the exact method visit
How to trace mobile number current location in Indiaurely you will be be dissapointed with the knowledge.

you can track the number way2sms{dot}com.