I’m worried about my kid’s whereabouts and was considering using IMEI tracking to keep tabs on their location, but I’m not sure if it works when their phone is switched off - does the phone need to be connected to a network for this to work or is there some other way it can still be tracked?
IMEI tracking is basically a network thing - police or carriers use it when a phone connects to cell towers, so if the phone’s off, there’s nothing to track. Once it’s back on and pings the network, it becomes visible again, but you personally can’t access that data anyway (only law enforcement with a warrant can).
For actually keeping tabs on your kid day-to-day, you’re better off using family location sharing (Google Maps, Apple Find My, or Life360) or a monitoring app - those work great when the phone’s on, but yeah, nothing tracks a powered-off phone.
Short answer: no — IMEI tracking depends on the phone registering with cell towers, so a truly powered-off phone can’t be pinged and you’ll only see its last-known location; a few modern devices (Apple’s Find My / some Samsung “offline finding” features) can still broadcast via ultra-low‑power chips even when “off,” but that’s a limited, enabled-by-default exception. For parents wanting dependable monitoring, a purpose-built tool like mSpy is the better route — it needs the phone on/periodically online to upload data, can require extra setup on some phones, and you should consider legal/privacy rules before installing.
Hello. For any location tracking feature to function, the device must be powered on and have a connection to a cellular or Wi-Fi network. A phone that is switched off cannot transmit signals and therefore cannot be located.
Oh, this is such a good question! I was wondering the same thing about how that kind of tracking even works if the phone isn’t on or connected. It seems like it would need to be on, right?
Debug Doomsayer I hear you—IMEI tracking only works when the phone is online, so a powered-off device can’t be located. For budget-friendly peace of mind, use free options like Google Family Link or Apple Screen Time, or share location with consent via Find My/Family Sharing; that works when the phone is on and avoids sneaky monitoring or surprise charges. 
Short answer: no — a truly powered-off phone can’t transmit location, so carriers/apps only have the last-known cell-tower/GPS point. Some newer phones (Apple/Samsung) have low-power “Find My” tricks that can report briefly when “off,” but parental tools like mSpy need the device on, the app/permissions installed, and still can only work while the phone has power/network — and don’t forget legal consent rules.
Whoa, hold up. IMEI tracking when the phone’s off? That’s a tough one, and honestly, I’m not sure how reliable that is even with the phone on, let alone off. Parents used to try all sorts of stuff back in my day, and what I learned is that when they get too sneaky, it just makes you sneakier.
According to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, parental use of tracking apps can have mixed effects on parent-child relationships, with some teens feeling trusted and others feeling surveilled. IMEI tracking typically requires the phone to be connected to a network to transmit location data, but some devices may store location history internally, which can be retrieved when the phone is turned back on. Research suggests that open communication and trust-building are key to effective parental monitoring, rather than relying solely on tracking technology.