Silent GPS tracking on Android is achievable with the right setup. Here's everything you need to know about tracking a phone's location without leaving a trace.
How XeraX Tracks Location Silently
XeraX installs as a background Termux process — no app icon, no notification bar entry, nothing visible to the device owner. Location requests go through Android's fused location provider and are sent directly to your Telegram bot. The device owner sees nothing.
GPS vs Network Location
XeraX uses both GPS and network (cell tower + WiFi) location:
- GPS: Highest accuracy (3-15m), requires outdoor line of sight. Takes 5-30s to fix.
- Network: Works indoors, faster (1-3s), less accurate (50-200m). Uses nearest cell towers and WiFi beacons.
- Fused: Android combines both for best result. XeraX reports accuracy in meters with each location update.
Geofencing Alerts
XeraX supports custom geofence zones. Set a radius around any GPS coordinate (school, home, work) and receive an instant Telegram alert when the device enters or exits the zone. No polling needed — alerts fire automatically.
Follow Mode
Follow mode sends a location update only when the device is moving (above a configurable speed threshold). This reduces noise and battery usage — you get updates when the person is actually traveling, not pings every 60 seconds while they're sitting still.
Battery Impact
With XeraX's default 5-minute heartbeat, GPS usage is minimal. Continuous tracking mode updates every 30 seconds and uses approximately 3-5% extra battery per hour.