Christmas is just around the corner, which means that it’s time to put up the Christmas tree, start doing your shopping, and most importantly, make sure that you’ve got a track Santa app installed on your phone. These apps exist to enable you to track the progress of Santa, his reindeer, and all your presents as they make their way around the globe on Christmas Eve. Easily accessible for anyone with a smartphone, these apps are a great way to bring a little more fun to Christmas Eve. Here are our best apps for tracking Santa.

Track Santa with Google Maps

You can quickly and easily track Santa Claus as he journeys around the world on your smartphone using Google Maps, simply by opening up the app. Once you’re in the app, click on the search bar and type in “Santa Claus”. Upon doing this, an image of Santa will pop up on the map so that you can see exactly where in the world he is.

This Santa tracker map isn’t all that’s available though. If you’re after more information about what he’s up to, you can tap on the ‘visit’ button in the bottom right-hand corner. Doing this will open up a browser with details about his night, including how many gifts he has delivered, how far away he is from you, and where he will be heading next. Most importantly, the app lets you know how long until Santa arrives in your area.

If you don’t have the Google Maps app on your phone, you’ve got a couple of options. You can head to the Google Maps website on your web browser and follow the same steps as above, or simply head to the App Store, Android Apps or Google Play to download the Google Maps app, and follow Santa’s Christmas Eve journey to your heart’s content.

Track Santa with NORAD

NORAD, also known as the North American Aerospace Defense Command, has plenty of experience in this area — having run some form of Santa tracking program since the 1950s. Of course, it’s developed significantly since then, and now it offers us an easy-to-use Santa tracker app available for download on your smartphone.

The NORAD Tracks Santa app — and its website equivalent — kicks into action on the first of December, when a timer begins counting down the days until the beginning of Santa’s expedition. And every day of the month, they’ll provide links to a different Christmas-themed game to help get you in the mood for the big day.

Come Christmas Eve, a 3D map will appear on the app and website showing the movement of Santa Claus and his reindeer as they make their way around the world. In much the same vein as the Google Maps Santa tracking app, the NORAD app shows you all the details of Santa’s night — how many gifts he’s delivered, where he was last spotted, and where he is heading next.

Follow Santa this Christmas with Santa tracker apps

Being able to track Santa’s progress on your phone as he delivers presents around the world is an innovative way to bring a little more joy to Christmas Eve. A number of different Santa tracking apps now exist, but the versions created by both Google Maps and NORAD stand out as the most comprehensive and are definitely worth utilising when the night before Christmas. Be sure to download one of these apps this December to be a part of the biggest and most exciting journey of every year!