cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/37022405
This is a carrier in the USA (T-Mobile).
I did a quick search for the other 2 carriers using the term “[Carrier Name] Family Tracking” and Verizon and AT&T also seems to have it.
And according to https://www.t-mobile.com/support/plans-features/t-mobile-familywhere-app, it says:
FamilyWhere uses geolocation data from the T-Mobile network and is not affected by changes to device location settings.
So it appears that its using cell tower triangulation. Turning on Airplane Mode should stop it (assuming there isn’t a separate tracking app on your phone)
Oh Wow, What a wonderful tool for abusive spouses and abusive parents. And telecom companies are making money off of it. 🙃
TLDR: Its a good idea to get your own separate cellular plan.
My kids don’t even have phones, as they do not need them and they are unhealthy for the young brain’s development.
I also don’t use location services on my phones. Fuck all that tracking bullshit.
You don’t need to use location services to be tracked by cell towers.
That’s true but it’s not in the same ballpark as GPS tracking. The phone company knows what county I’m in but probably not what businesses and municipal buildings I enter on foot unlike GPS location services. Bluetooth and Wifi are also disabled when I leave the house to minimize those being used for device tracking.
It’s just good practice to disable all the unused wireless radios in your pocket computer. Don’t turn them on until you need them on. It saves a lot of battery life too.
The phone company can get your location down to a few dozen feet depending on the number of 4G (50 to 70 metres) and 5G (10-50 metres) towers around.
They have your approximate location. If you are in a densely populated city, they might not know which specific building or which specific apartment unit, but they’ll have a small circle around the area, and if you are in a suburb, where things are more spaced out, they will know the exact stores you go to.
If you go to a walmart with huge parking spaces all around it, its obvious you went to a walmart.
It could rather be more accurate in a dense area thanks to more cell towers. And it seems mmWave 5G can get below 1 meter in accuracy.
Make sure you turn off your 5g in addition to what OP explained in sister comment
A cheap dumbphone could come in handy at almost any age* (calls, short SMS, especially in emergency situations). Though there is a possibility they wouldn’t want to be seen with that. Kids will bully each other for whatever isn’t a norm.
Anyway, preferably a simpler one. I used to spend hours each day on Java games. Really, the only thing that stopped me was headaches.
* Almost any - you don’t want a 3 year old calling 911 for fun