How to track someone on facebook without being friends

Want to know how to find someone’s location on Facebook? You are not alone. Most people don’t realize how easy it is to track people on Facebook and FB Messenger.

Facebook, like every other social media platform, collects a lot of data from its users. And part of that data is tracking the users’ location along with other details like IP addresses.

I’m going to show you a few different ways you can trace someone on the Facebook platform using their data. I’ll cover how you can track friends and family and then show you the best way to do this without them knowing.

Only methods that work – so let’s get started.

• Four Ways to Track Their Location Using Facebook
  • Using Facebook Location History
  • How to Check Someone’s Location on Facebook Messenger
  • Using Facebook Hashtags to See Their Location
  • Using Nearby Friends Feature
• The Problem With Location Tracking?
• Tracking Someone on Facebook Without Them Knowing
• Questions:
  • How to track someone on Facebook without being friends?
  • Can I stop someone seeing my location on Facebook?
• Wrapping Up

Four Ways to Track Their Location Using Facebook

You can have all sorts of reasons to try to track someone using Facebook. Maybe you are concerned where your kids or family members are. Maybe you are meeting someone and wonder if they are coming or not. Maybe you are just nosey!

Facebook have some built in methods you can use to trace your Facebook friends – I’ll cover these first. Then I’ll show you the most accurate method that works without them knowing – and you don’t need to be Facebook friends.

You may not like the fact that Facebook collects all this information. And you are right about it because if someone is determined to find out certain details about you, like your location in this case, there is more than one way to do so.

For those who want to find out someone’s location, here are four easy ways that can work.

Using Facebook Location History

The location history of any user can be traced with the help of data that the platform collects. One such detail is to check their Facebook location history. When you log into Facebook, there is a menu on the top right corner of the page.

There, you will find the option Settings. That will take you to the host of settings you can change on the page. On the left side of the page, you will find Location.

When you click on that, you will find the option of ‘View Location History’. Tap on that and it will show you a calendar.

Select the time period for the location history and you will see what has been registered by Facebook in terms of the locations from where you have accessed the website. This is available only for PCs and Macbooks.

• Settings -> Location -> View Location History -> Calendar

This is an easy way to access your own location history, but you cannot do this for someone else unless you know their FB login and password. You also won’t be able to look up the location if someone has turned it off in their settings.

And if it makes you uncomfortable, you can delete what has been registered in the past so that no one else has access to this information for your account.

How to Check Someone’s Location on Facebook Messenger

If you use Facebook Messenger, you will see that there is an option that allows you to track your friend’s location on mobile. This can be used if the friend in question shares their location with you. This is much like WhatsApp location sharing.

Start a conversation with the friend whose location you want. At the bottom left of the chat window, your friend will see four dots.

They must tap on it to see a location icon. Then they must click on it and they will be asked if they want to share the location with you. “Allow Access” and you will be able to see your friend’s live location.

• Facebook Messenger -> Chat Window of said friend -> Four dots icon -> Location icon -> Allow Access

The limitation with this method is that you can’t see it unless your friend gives you access.

Using Facebook Hashtags to See Their Location

Another way to find out or keep track of someone’s location is to check their Facebook posts and stories. A lot of users tend to add their location using hashtags on their stories.

This is true for some of their posts too. So, click on the hashtag and you will see an option called “Show Location” which will take you to Google Maps and show you the address.

• Click on Hashtag -> Show Location -> you will see the location on Google Maps

This, however, does not mean that is where they are right now. For instance, if your friend has done this when they were on vacation, you will know where they have been, but not where they are now. But sometimes, it is worth trying.

Using Nearby Friends Feature

There is a feature called Nearby Friends on Facebook which allows users to share their location with friends who are, well, nearby.

Once it is activated, the Location History gets switched on. The way you can do this depends on whether you use iOS or Android.

For Apple devices, you must turn on Location services and keep the setting on for “Always”. Then, you must click on the icon with three horizontal lines. After that, you will see the Nearby Friends option.

You might need to get there using the “See More” option. On the top right corner of the page, you will see the Gear icon. Click on the ON/OFF toggle and you are all set.

• Settings -> Location -> Turn On -> See More -> Nearby Friends -> Gear icon -> ON/OFF

If you are using an Android device, here’s how you go about it.

Go to Settings and Location to turn on “Location Services and Background Location”. Then you will see three horizontal lines in the top right corner of the page. Tap on ‘Nearby Friends’ and you will see a list of those who are close to you and also have their location services turned on.

• Location Services and Background Location -> ON/OFF -> Three horizontal lines -> Nearby Friends

But you cannot use this feature if your friends have not turned their location or this particular feature on. You also cannot use this to track strangers. The location you see is also an approximation and it is available only for mobile users.

The Problem With Location Tracking?

All the methods above have limitations. Either you need full access to the other persons Facebook account including password. Or, you need their permission and cooperation. But there is another way.

It is possible to find someone’s location on Facebook and Messenger accurately and without them knowing. This method involves using a monitoring app and there are some legal restrictions. A good phone tracker app can give accurate real time location information.

It is a perfect way to track your children on Facebook in real time and it works!

Tracking Someone on Facebook Without Them Knowing

If you want to do this secretly, there are monitoring or spy apps like mSpy which can help you keep track of individual users. This is often helpful for parents who want to keep an eye on their kids or for employers tracking company cell phones.

mSpy is the best selling spy app on the market and is available to use on Android and the iPhone. For iPhone users no access to their phone is needed using their No Jailbreak version of the app. For Android phones physical access to the target phone is required to install the mSpy app.

Once installed the app is completely hidden from view and reports in the background. You access these reports using their online reporting dashboard or control panel.

For Facebook tracking mSpy will allow you to see their location on Google maps and it is accurate! The best part is that mSpy offers so much more.

It will report everything they do on Facebook and Messenger – every message, photo, voice call and even secret conversations. In essence it allows you to completely hack their Facebook account secretly.

It is an affordable option that lets you go through the targeted user’s online activity, beyond just Facebook, secretly. It lets you look into GPS location, texts, calls and all that information is stored in mSpy’s Control Panel.

For full details about mSpy have a look at my main review below. There are other spy apps available but for tracking Facebook this is my top recommendation.

If you want a reliable tool to help keep you kids safe and know where they are this is it! Have a good look around this site as I cover lots of information about getting the most out of spy apps in legal and ethical ways.

Questions:

How to track someone on Facebook without being friends?

The best way to track someone on Facebook without being friends is to use a monitoring app. Facebook’s own location tracking features only work for friends.

Can I stop someone seeing my location on Facebook?

Yes. To stop anyone seeing your location on Facebook make sure you turn off all location settings. Turn them off on your phone and all apps just to be sure.

Wrapping Up

The debate on data privacy is becoming more and more important precisely because there are so many ways to find out private details about a certain user as long as the data is collected. This is just one example.

I’ve covered several ways to find someone’s location on Facebook and Messenger with limitations. I also showed how you can do this without the user knowing and gain a lot more information in to the bargain.

Hope this helps!