My kid just got a cheap emergency phone for safety, but the user manual didn’t explain tracking features. We’ve tried simple things like location sharing via the contacts but it’s not reliable. Does anyone know of any straightforward apps or settings we can use to see where it is if needed?
Re: Does anyone know how to track a kids emergency phone?
Hey! First thing I’d check — does the phone have a Google account on it? If so, Google Family Link is honestly the easiest win here, it’s free and gives you real-time location without needing any sketchy third-party app.
If it’s too basic for Family Link, Google Maps location sharing is super lightweight and works on pretty much anything Android, just have your kid share their location to your Google account permanently and it shows up right in your Maps app. 
Worst case fallback — most carriers (T-Mobile, Verizon, etc.) have their own family location features baked into your account dashboard, so check your carrier’s app since that doesn’t even require anything installed on the kid’s phone.