Use your smartphone or tablet as a GPS tracker with LiveGPSTracks

Yes—absolutely.

Modern smartphones and tablets can work as fully functional GPS tracking devices and send location data to a GPS monitoring platform without requiring dedicated hardware.

This is done using software GPS trackers—mobile apps that use the device's built-in GPS/GNSS module and transmit coordinates over the internet.

What Is a Software GPS Tracker?

A software tracker is a mobile application that turns a smartphone or tablet into a GPS tracking device.

Instead of installing a separate hardware tracker, you simply install an app on:

  • Android phones;
  • iPhones and other iOS devices;
  • tablets;
  • rugged mobile terminals.

The app collects GPS location data and sends it to a tracking server in real time.

Software trackers are commonly used for:

  • fleet monitoring;
  • employee and courier tracking;
  • trip logging;
  • temporary vehicle tracking;
  • testing GPS monitoring systems;
  • personal tracking.

How Are Software Trackers Configured?

Unlike hardware GPS trackers, software trackers are usually configured directly inside the mobile app.

Typically, you need to configure:

  • the server address;
  • the port or transmission path;
  • the tracking interval;
  • a device ID or login credentials.

Most apps provide these settings through a simple configuration screen.

The Most Important Settings

Data Transmission Interval

For the initial setup, it is recommended to use a short reporting interval—around 10–30 seconds.

This helps verify that:

  • the app is working correctly;
  • the server is receiving data;
  • GPS coordinates are updating properly.

Once everything is working, the interval can be increased to reduce:

  • battery consumption;
  • mobile data usage.

Typical examples:

  • 10–30 seconds: testing and diagnostics;
  • 1–5 minutes: regular tracking;
  • longer intervals: low-frequency monitoring.

Server Address and Port

One common mistake is assuming that every GPS tracker uses a standard IP address and TCP port.

In reality, many software trackers send data via HTTP or HTTPS requests to a specific script or endpoint.

Because of this, it is important to check the exact connection format required by each application.

Can a Smartphone Replace a Hardware GPS Tracker?

In many cases, yes.

Using a smartphone as a tracker offers several advantages:

  • no additional hardware cost;
  • quick deployment;
  • easy testing;
  • built-in GPS and internet connectivity;
  • setup that takes only a few minutes.

However, there are also limitations:

  • higher battery consumption;
  • the user may accidentally close the app;
  • Android or iPhone battery optimization can restrict background tracking;
  • dedicated hardware trackers are usually more stable for 24/7 fleet monitoring.

Real Time GPS Tracker by LiveGPSTracks

We develop our own software tracker application called Real Time GPS Tracker.

It is currently available for Android:

The app can be used for:

  • personal GPS tracking;
  • vehicle tracking;
  • employee monitoring;
  • courier and delivery tracking;
  • testing GPS monitoring systems.

In addition to our own application, LiveGPSTracks supports many third-party software trackers.

Is There an iPhone Version of Real Time GPS Tracker?

At the moment, we do not develop our own iOS tracker application.

However, LiveGPSTracks supports multiple third-party GPS tracker apps for iPhone and iOS devices.

This allows iPhones to connect to the monitoring platform in the same way as Android devices.

Supported Software GPS Trackers

You can find the full list of supported software GPS tracker applications here:

The list includes:

  • Android GPS tracker apps;
  • iPhone and iOS tracking apps;
  • OpenGTS-compatible trackers;
  • logistics and fleet tracking solutions.

When Is a Software Tracker the Best Choice?

Software GPS trackers are a great solution when you need:

  • fast deployment;
  • low-cost GPS tracking;
  • temporary monitoring;
  • quick system testing;
  • tracking using employee smartphones.

For professional 24/7 fleet monitoring, dedicated hardware GPS trackers are often preferred. But software trackers remain one of the easiest and most flexible ways to start using GPS monitoring systems such as LiveGPSTracks.