How to track Santa this Christmas on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Santa talking to child
(Image credit: __drz__ / Unsplash)

On Christmas Eve, you and your children can track Santa's journey towards your home with the help of modern technology. No more guessing when Santa might arrive! You'll be sure to have the milk and cookies for Santa, plus some carrots for his hard-working reindeer, in time for his arrival. You can start even earlier than Christmas Eve to play games, talk to Santa, and other fun features that get everyone into the Christmas spirit. Use your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or even your Apple TV to enjoy some Christmas magic with the whole family.

Google Santa Tracker

Google Santa Tracker screenshot

(Image credit: Google)

Use Google's Santa Tracker on the device of your choice. It's free to use and it includes a ton of fun interactive and educational games for your child to play leading up to the big day. During the entire month of December, your child can learn to code with games like "Code Boogie," learn about holiday traditions around the world, get creative with games like "Elf Maker," read interactive story books, watch videos, and more. On Christmas Eve, the Santa Tracker kicks into gear and your child can follow Santa on his journey around the world.

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Google Santa Tracker

Visit Google's Santa Tracker on any of your devices in Safari or your browser of choice. There's Christmas entertainment for the whole family all season long.

Go to site: Google Santa Tracker

NORAD Tracks Santa Claus

NORAD Tracks Santa Claus app

(Image credit: NORAD)

NORAD, or North American Aerospace Defense Command, is "a United States and Canada bi-national organization which defends the homeland through aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for North America." Despite NORAD's rather serious mission, it has a light-hearted Santa tracker that you can access via iPhone/iPad app or on your Mac using Safari or your browser of choice. Leading up to the big day, you can learn more about NORAD and about Santa on the site or app. Listen to Christmas music, read stories, play games, watch movies, and even buy NORAD Christmas merch. On Christmas Eve, you can follow along as NORAD uses its radar systems to track Santa with maximum accuracy.

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NORAD Tracks Santa

The North American Aerospace Defense Command takes time out of its busy schedule to track Santa with its high-tech radar systems.

Download app from: App Store

Or go to site: NORAD Tracks Santa

Santa Claus Call - Tracker

Santa Claus Call Tracker app

(Image credit: Ekta Hirpara)

This iPhone app does include a Santa Tracker, but its headline feature is that you can have a phone call with Santa. You enter your child's name and choose how long you'd like the call to be. You'll get an incoming "call" from Santa Claus. You can also have a simulated text conversation with Santa. The app has other fun Christmas features, such as a photo booth that lets you and your child create personalized holiday greetings with frames, stickers, text, and borders. You can also create fun Christmas videos that you can upload straight to your social media of choice.

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Santa Claus Call - Tracker

Schedule a call with Santa, exchange text messages with him, and track him with this fun iPhone app. You can also create Christmas photos and videos to share with friends and family.

Download from: App Store

Santa Tracker & Wishlist Maker

Santa Tracker & Wishlist Maker

(Image credit: Sunil Zalavadiya)

Unlike many Santa tracking apps, this one lets you track Santa all year round, not just on Christmas Eve. The iPhone app also includes a Christmas countdown. A major feature that sets this app apart from other trackers is the detailed gifting list. You can sort it by people or by gift items. I'm sure that your child will enjoy filling out their own gift wish list, so that you can share it with Santa. 

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Santa Tracker & Wishlist Maker

This iPhone app is a year-round Santa tracker, Christmas countdown clock, and gift list maker all in one. Your child can create their own list of desired gifts so you can share it with Santa.

Download from: App Store

Santa Tracker and Status Check

Santa Tracker and Status Check

(Image credit: First Class Media B.V.)

Here's an app that lets you track Santa Claus on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. The app has three features. The first is a Santa Tracker, which allows you to see where Santa is in relation to your home on Christmas Eve. The second is a real time Christmas countdown, so you know exactly how long until the big day. Finally, Santa's Status Check. This lets you see what Santa's up to at any given time, such as how many letters he's received so far or what his last snack was.

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Santa Tracker and Status Check

Track Santa Claus, count down until Christmas, and see what Santa's up to in real time. Download this app on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV.

Download from: App Store

Have a Merry Christmas

Childhood is fleeting; make the most of it with holiday fun like this. You have a precious few years while your children are young. These Santa trackers are fun for kids and parents alike. Perhaps they might even help keep the Christmas magic alive for just a bit longer. Knowing where Santa is on his journey builds anticipation and makes it all the more real for your child. 

Karen S Freeman
Contributor

Karen is a contributor to iMore.com as a writer and co-host of the iMore Show. She’s been writing about Apple since 2010 with a year-long break to work at an Apple Store as a product specialist. She's also a contributor at TechRadar and Tom's Guide. Before joining iMore in 2018, Karen wrote for Macworld, CNET, AppAdvice, and WatchAware. She’s an early adopter who used to wait in long lines on release days before pre-ordering made things much easier. Karen is also a part-time teacher and occasional movie extra. She loves to spend time with her family, travel the world, and is always looking for portable tech and accessories so she can work from anywhere.