How do I track the location of a G-Mail ID?


👤 Adamya Neupane    🕒 10 Mar 2023    📁 TECH

Google is everywhere. It’s in our phones, it’s in our computers and it’s in our smart devices. And it is tracking us. I don’t say this to fearmonger the readers. But, any site that we go to tracks us in one way or another. This is done to ensure internet safety and prevent illegal activities from happening on websites. Now, going back to the topic of google’s location services. Google’s products can be found on most of our smart devices. They determine the user’s location based on their IP and GPS data. Google may also collect location data from other Google services that the user has enabled. These can be turned off anytime and it’s entirely dependent on the user. 

How to track the location of a Gmail ID?

It is not possible to track the location of a Google ID. A Gmail ID is a credential. It is like a unique name you use to access Google services. These services include Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar. A Google ID does not have a physical location.

However, if a user has enabled location services for their Google account, Google may collect location data. This is done from the user's devices. Google uses it to provide location-based services or targeted ads. This data is not publicly available. It is also not possible to access it without the user's consent or authorization.

The legality of tracking

Tracking someone's location without their consent is generally considered an invasion of privacy. It can be considered illegal in many jurisdictions. Therefore, it's important to respect people's privacy and not engage in any activity that could be considered stalking or harassment. However, if the ID that you’re trying to track is your own, there are some peculiar things that google can do for you. 

Tracking my own account

If you want to track your own account, you can use the timeline feature offered by google maps. The timeline feature tracks your location history. It also shows the location on a map for any given day. To access your location history, follow the steps given below. 

  1. Open google maps. 
  2. Click on the top left menu option
    google maps menu
    fig. google maps menu
  3. On the menu, click on the “Timeline” option
    Menu Timeline
    fig. Menu Timeline
  4. If you have already signed in to your account, a new tab will take you to timeline.google.com 
  5. This is where you will be able to see your timeline.

This is how you can access your google maps timeline. The first page looks as such:

Timeline Google
fig. Timeline Google

Here, you can take a look at all your data over the years. 

You can also track your own google IDs with the following methods.

You can use the official Google service known as "My Account" if you want to monitor the position of your own Gmail account. Google offers this feature. You have the ability to examine and manage the location data that Google has collected from your account by using the "My Account" feature.

1. Follow these procedures to access "My Account," which are as follows:
2. Navigate to your Google account and sign in.
3. In the upper right corner, click on your profile photograph, and then click the option that says "Manage your Google Account."
4. Navigate to the portion labeled "Data & Personalization."
5. Once you've reached the "Activity controls" section, scroll all the way to the bottom and select "Location History."
6. To activate location tracking, toggle the switch in the appropriate direction.

Simply clicking on the "Manage Timeline" button will now allow you to view and control your location data. You also have the option to set up position alerts and notifications, which will allow you to be informed when you enter or exit particular locations.

Conclusion

This is all you need to know about tracking google IDs. I hope that you have found some value in this article. If you found it to be helpful, consider buying me a coffee through the link below. Glad to have been of any help.