Turn an old Android phone into a private GPS tracker (no subscription)

Most people have a drawer phone: an old Android that still boots, still holds a charge for a day and still has a working GPS chip. That is, on its own, a complete vehicle tracker. No subscription, no dongle to buy, no account with a car maker. This is the DIY version, and it takes about ten minutes.

Why bother, when the car app already shows where it is?

Because the car maker’s app is, quite literally, the car maker’s. The location history sits in their cloud, tied to their account, and it can change terms, get resold or switch off with the model. A spare phone answers to you. It works on any vehicle, including an old one that never had connected services, and the history stays in an account you control. The full walkthrough is on the car tracking setup guide.

How the chain works

The build

Phone: anything running a recent Android with GPS. A cracked screen is fine as long as the touch layer works.

Power: a USB charger wired to a permanent 12 V feed, or a small power bank that tops the phone up while you drive. Do not leave it on the dash in summer sun.

Placement: flat, dry and fixed, and not buried under thick metal. Under a seat, in a boot cubby or in a glovebox all work. Vehicles with a big flat boot floor are the easiest. See the full catalogue of vehicles for model-specific hiding spots, from pickups such as the Ram 1500 to electric hatchbacks.

What you get for zero a month

Live position on a map, full route history, and a device name and PIN per vehicle. Add as many vehicles as you like. It is the same idea as a commercial tracker, minus the installer and the invoice. Handy for a second car, a van, a quad or anything else with a 12 V socket.

Quick start

Put the phone in the vehicle, run the app, name the device, set a PIN and watch the map. Start here: create a free account, then open the setup guide. Legal note: only track vehicles you own or are authorised to track.