As December 25th approaches, kids everywhere are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Father Christmas himself. Whatever your family’s Christmas traditions — and however old the kids are — there’s one thing that’s fun for everyone to do in the run-up to the big day: track Santa Claus.
There are loads of apps out there that let you keep track of where Santa is throughout the holidays — and on Christmas Eve — and tell you how long it’s going to take him to get to your house to deliver all those presents. Some are basic tracking apps that show you Santa’s location and progress, while others include fun games and activities to keep the kids entertained during the holidays. So while you’re watching your favorite Christmas movies, why not dive into our roundup of the very best apps for tracking Santa on your phone?
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Santa-tracking app is the ultimate tracker, counting down the days until Santa arrives. NORAD’s North Warning System alerts kids when Santa sets off on his journey from the North Pole on Christmas Eve, so you can track Santa’s trek around the world. You can even watch him flying in his sleigh on the Santa Cams or read bedtime stories about Santa.
Kids can phone 1-877-HI-NORAD or email to talk to NORAD personnel, who will be able to tell them Santa’s location at any time up until midnight. There’s info in the app about each place Santa visits, loads of games to make Christmas Eve fun for the whole family, and Christmas music to listen to — and it’s all completely free.
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While you’re watching the obligatory Christmas movies on Netflix, download this tracker from Dualverse for the kids. It features a clear, colorful map showing where Santa is in the world at any given moment, a countdown to the big day, and “photos” showing what Santa is up to — such as checking on the reindeers or shopping for Christmas presents. You can personalize the tracker with your child’s name, age, gender, and location, and even add a photo of them, if you like.
An in-app purchase unlocks extra features, but at the time of writing, it’s not clear what paying the extra $4 actually gets you. We’re assuming some extra tracking features — though we think the free version is everything kids could ask for when it comes to tracking Santa!
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For kids who want to follow Santa even before Christmas Eve approaches, Where is Santa Lite is the app you need. You can see where Santa is on the planet at any given moment thanks to the detailed interactive map, and get a dynamic report of what he’s doing and where he is whenever you refresh the scan.
The app also tracks your home location, so your kids will be able to see Santa’s estimated arrival time, which is sure to get them excited — though hopefully not so excited that they don’t get any sleep. It’s worth noting that while this is a free app, there are ads, which might be off-putting if you have younger kids impatiently waiting to track Santa’s sleigh.
Apple App Store Google Play Store
SaviorCode’s Santa Tracker app gives kids a colorful countdown to Santa’s arrival, a map to track his whereabouts on Christmas Eve, and a coloring activity to keep them entertained during the holidays.
There are a couple of negatives about this app, though. First is the ads, which could potentially be quite annoying and intrusive when excited kids are waiting to find out where Santa is. Then there’s the fact that this app is only available for Android devices — though our list has plenty of alternatives for iPhones. Those two points aside, this is an excellent free, no-frills tracker to build excitement as Christmas approaches.
With the holidays right around the corner, there are loads of apps to get your phone Christmas ready. This last entry isn’t an app, but it’s still one of the best ways to track Santa from your laptop, tablet, or phone.
Google’s Santa Tracker is fun for adults and kids alike, with loads of engaging games and activities, like Santa Selfie, which lets kids get Santa ready for his big moment, Elf Jetpack, and Gumball Tilt.
You’ll also find short animated videos for the kids to watch that great for winding down before the most exciting bedtime of the year. The whole site is available in over 35 different languages, too.
Most importantly, there’s a countdown to Santa’s arrival, and if you return on December 24th, you’ll find the site transformed into a Santa tracker starting at 5 a.m. ET so the kids can keep an eye on Santa’s present delivery progress.
Freelance technology journalist and writer living in (somewhat) sunny Scotland. Gamer, tea addict, never without a good book.
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