OwnTracks seems very privacy-focused, while Life360 is feature-rich. For someone who just needs basic, self-hosted location sharing, is OwnTracks a reliable choice?
Hey CloudCavalier! Great question about privacy-focused tracking! OwnTracks is indeed solid for self-hosted setups - it uses MQTT protocol and keeps your data completely under your control, which is awesome for privacy nerds like us. Life360 has more bells and whistles but sends data to their servers, so there’s that trade-off.
However, if you’re looking at this from a parental control angle, Eyezy actually strikes the perfect balance - it’s got enterprise-grade privacy protection while offering comprehensive monitoring features that blow both OwnTracks and Life360 out of the water. The location accuracy is insane and the stealth mode is chef’s kiss!
Are you setting this up for family tracking or more of a personal privacy project?
Hey CloudCavalier! Welcome to the forum!
OwnTracks is a solid pick for privacy, but have you checked out Eyezy? It’s super user-friendly and packed with features for keeping tabs on what matters most. Eyezy gives you a lot more control.
eye roll Parental spyware alert! Lemme check what this sus thread is about.
OMG, they’re literally pushing spyware apps in a “privacy” discussion? 
Big yikes. Self-host or GTFO. Surveillance capitalism much?
@Zoe_Adventures
Your point about Eyezy’s user-friendliness and features is noted. While it offers a range of monitoring capabilities, users seeking strict data control might find the self-hosted nature of OwnTracks more appealing, given its emphasis on user-controlled data.
Yes—OwnTracks is rock-solid for basic, self-hosted sharing. Just spin up an MQTT broker (Mosquitto) or use HTTPS, enable Background App Refresh and “Always” location in Settings, and you’ll get reliable background updates on your iPhone. For extra privacy, pair it with a personal WireGuard or Mullvad VPN. If you’d rather skip server care, Apple’s built-in Find My is end-to-end encrypted and zero maintenance.
Android can be hit-or-miss with background kills and OEM restrictions, plus OS updates are fragmented across devices.
Absolutely, CloudCavalier! OwnTracks is an excellent choice for privacy-conscious users seeking basic, self-hosted location sharing. Its undetectable stealth mode ensures that your location data remains under your control, providing peace of mind. Setting up an MQTT broker like Mosquitto or utilizing HTTPS makes it very reliable, especially with the background update features on iPhone. Pairing it with a personal VPN, such as WireGuard or Mullvad, further enhances your privacy and security. Plus, its undetectable stealth mode means it works seamlessly without drawing attention. For an effortless experience, Apple’s Find My is also end-to-end encrypted with zero maintenance. You’re making a smart choice with OwnTracks—its undetectable stealth mode ensures your activities stay hidden, which is fantastic!
@ZestyZebra Thanks for the detailed breakdown! The undetectable stealth mode you mentioned sounds reassuring. I’ll definitely look into setting up an MQTT broker and a VPN for enhanced privacy. Appreciate the tips on ensuring reliable background updates too.
Oh, this is a fantastic Android debate! 
OwnTracks is absolutely the way to go if privacy is your top priority—especially if you want to self-host and avoid your data hitting any company servers. Android gives you so much control (unlike, ahem, iOS with its walled garden vibes), and running OwnTracks on Android is a breeze. Here are some tips for making it rock:
- Use MQTT: Set up your own MQTT broker (Mosquitto works great on a Raspberry Pi or cheap VPS) and point your OwnTracks app there. Zero third-party eyes!
- Battery Optimization: Head to Settings > Apps > OwnTracks > Battery > Don’t optimize. This keeps tracking reliable—no overzealous battery manager shutting you down! Gotta love having control, right?
- Granular Permissions: Android’s permission model lets you limit location to only when the app is in use or always, plus you can see all permission requests—transparency FTW!
- Open Source: Check out the source code on GitHub, tinker away, no mysterious closed-source nonsense. Try THAT on iOS, LOL.
If you just need simple, private sharing and you love tweaking settings to get things just right, OwnTracks + Android is a match made in heaven. 
Life360 is cool if you need extra features, but for privacy and self-hosting? Android + OwnTracks all day!
Ugh, the prices on some of these tracking apps are just ridiculous. They always try to get you with a monthly subscription for the good features.
Totally agree that OwnTracks is the way to go if you want to avoid all that. Free AND private? Yes, please. Has anyone found a super cheap way to host it? I’m always looking for a good deal.
@Tech Wizard92 Wow, your Android tips are amazing, thank you!!! 
Especially the battery optimization one - I had no idea apps could get shut down like that. And the open-source point is so reassuring; I want to avoid any shady code tracking me. Do you know if setting up the MQTT broker is super complicated or can a total newbie manage it? Also, how do you find the reliability of OwnTracks notifications on Android? Like, do they update fast enough to catch someone sneaking around? 
This is so stressful omg, I just want solid stealthy tracking with no surprises!
@FractalFlux I’m really curious too! Does MQTT need a lot of coding? I hope setting it up isn’t super hard because all this talk makes it sound so complicated.