Is it Possible to Get IP Address from Text Messages? [And How]

Text messages are one of the go-to communication tools nowadays. However, if you have been receiving text messages from some stranger or unknown person, you might be eager to reveal their location. Well, the respective IP address can give you some idea of where those text messages are coming from.

How to get IP address from text messages, or is it really possible? This skill requires a little bit of digging into how these things technically work together. 

Let’s explore what kind of information can hide in a text message thread and their ethical implications.

What’s an IP Address and Does it Stay Hidden in Text Messages?

We are sure you are curious about how to get IP addresses from text messages. However, you must have to figure out what an IP address is. Like your physical or residential address, every computer on a particular network has a unique numerical tag.

This is what you call the IP address of the mentioned computer. This numerical tag serves as an identification label. In addition, it’s possible to track down that particular device using the IP address.

For your information, IP addresses are categorised into 2 major types. They are Internet Protocol version 4 or IPv4 and Internet Protocol version 6 or IPv6. However, IPv4 is the most commonly used protocol.

So, how to find IP address of anonymous messages? Reportedly, text messages may carry important hints to identify the corresponding IP address of the sender. Yet, extracting IP addresses from text messages is not a straightforward process.

On the other hand, it’s not that difficult too. One can easily discover the sender’s IP address with the right tools and skills. Beforehand, you must be aware of such processes’ legal and ethical limitations.

Ethical Boundaries of Extracting the IP Address from a Text Message

Privacy and data protection policies vary a lot from one region to another. Therefore, you should go through such guidelines carefully before extracting IP addresses or similar data from text messages.

Besides this, you might have to achieve proper legitimate reasons or authorisation to get IP address from text messages. Usually, authorities indulge themselves in similar activities for investigating potential threats or helping law enforcement bodies.

What are Popular and Proven Techniques to Get IP Address from Text Messages?

A couple of technical skills might help you how to find out where a text message was sent from. Check out the following techniques that might reveal the IP address of a text sender:

Analysing Metadata

Text messages may carry the metadata forward alongside themselves. So, metadata analysis with the right tool can help you uncover the sender’s IP address. However, the IP address might hide in the header information.

The sender ID might probably give out some clues to find out the IP address or origin of the message. Chances are that the number has carried a specific company’s name along with the text message. However, this is more useful when the text message is not from a traditional number instead of a combination of letters and numbers.

Converting the Text into an Email

This is another leading way to get IP address from text messages. All you have to do is send the text message to an email address with dedicated tools for tracking the IP address. After that, you can easily obtain the IP address by opening the text message.

Searching the Number Online

Taking help from an online tool can be beneficial in retrieving the location of the text message sender. By the way, you have to use a legitimate third-party tool to discover the location of the sender. You might have to add the country code depending on the tool you are using. Usually, this type of software only reveals the country or region instead of an IP address.

Tracing the URL

How do you get IP address from text messages when the message has a URL or link? Fortunately, it makes the job easier. You can make use of a link tracing tool from the internet. Well, the tool can spill out the IP address of the website that hosts the link. 

Social Media Investigation

Does the anonymous text message contain any social media username or handle? Then, use those insights to find out who the sender is or the exact location where the text message originated. 

Assistance from Service Providers

Apart from the aforementioned methods, you can take help from the respective service providers. However, you should continue this method only if you sense potential threats or illegal activities from the text message. Hence, provide legitimate reasons to your network operator so they can assist you to get IP address from text messages that have been threatening all along.

Use an IP Logger

IP loggers are a specific tool that can track a particular number and tell you the IP address, approximate location, and other vital data. However, you should check an IP logger’s working mechanism and policies before using them on your devices for security reasons.

Forensic Analysis

Now, how to get IP address from text messages if all of the above methods are useless? Trying advanced forensic analysis can help you in this situation. Modern techniques can reveal IP addresses from text messages saved on network infrastructure or devices.

Other Considerations

Contacting cybersecurity communities and forums can help you stay updated regarding the best practices to trace IP addresses from texts. In addition, you must consider a consultation with legal experts in case of illegal or sensitive activities. 

If it’s about your interest in this kind of tracing, then you can gather your knowledge in cybersecurity, networking protocols, digital forensics, and relevant technologies. 

Tools to Track IP Addresses from Text Messages

Furthermore, you can use the following third-party trackers or tools online to get IP address from iMessage or text messages. They can spy the message for location and convey it to you. Here are some online trackers that you might use:

Cocospy

This dedicated tracking tool assists you in monitoring your incoming and outgoing messages. In addition, Cocospy lets you track the sender’s live location. You can also record your calls, trace the user’s social network profiles, and more. However, this service is available at an affordable price.

HoverWatch

Here’s another tool to learn about the sender’s country code from their phone number. HoverWatch can serve you as a phone tracker. Additionally, you can access the target phone’s browsing and call history. On the other hand, the app remains hidden on the target device.

Grabify IP Logger

Are you looking for how to extract IP address from phone numbers? Then, you can try this IP logger tool called Grabify. This third-party software generates links to track the location of the text message sender. In addition, it can find out the IP location of the target device. However, this online tool is helpful if the message has a link or URL to track.

ClevGuard

Not every spy app is supported on iOS devices. Fortunately, ClevGuard is a compatible parental control application for iOS and Android. On the other hand, you can track incoming and outgoing messages with this app. This application will retrieve you the media, browsing history, and more from the target device. Not to mention, this will provide you with the device’s location, too.

How Can You Protect Your IP Address from Getting Exposed from Your Sent Messages?

So, you have seen that text messages can unveil the sender’s IP address, location, and more. Similarly, someone can get your IP address from the text message you have sent to them. Hence, you must take some preventive measures to protect your IP address. After all, it’s not a good idea for your IP address to be compromised.

Apart from learning how to get IP address from text messages, here are some important points to keep your IP address secure:

• Only use messaging applications that prioritise encryption and privacy. Any suspicious texting application can compromise your sensitive and confidential data apart from IP addresses.
• Ensure you don’t share your IP address with anyone over chatting or other social media platforms.
• In addition, use a VPN service for reliable incoming internet traffic. Moreover, it will encrypt your internet connection and hide the IP address.
• Take special care of your device’s security configuration. Any improper security settings can compromise your device’s IP address. Worse, it can induce a data leak in no time.

Final Words…

How to get IP address from text messages is an important step in investigations and other legal activities. On the other hand, you must maintain such operations within the permissible ethical and legal limits. Yes, some third-party applications and tools might help you to get insights into the origin of the corresponding text message.

However, you should verify their legitimacy before using them. Additionally, keep your device’s software updated to keep similar threats away. After all, your digital identity can be compromised if you’re unaware of the cybersecurity seams.