NORAD Tracks Santa

This is the best one! We used this when our kid was a toddler and almost 13 years later we all still get a kick out of it. How many apps can you say that about for the whole family? Loads up pretty quick. Graphics are good without being too simple or overdone, with some nice options. Informational & educational about the places Santa visits. The games are a really nice touch, but really miss some of the old ones with penguins and hockey.

In 2026, this remains the most magical way to track Santa. The 70th-anniversary update added a cool web-calling feature to talk to "live operators" and better multi-language support. It feels authentic and is completely free/ad-free, which is rare. However, the app can be glitchy—3D mode often fails on tablets, and the map can lag during peak Christmas Eve traffic. It’s not as "slick" as Google’s version, but the military-grade backstory makes it the one kids believe in most.

I wanted something similar to the PC wallpaper of the past. You could leave it as wallpaper, Screensaver, always on display on screen. Or at least a widget, can't find one? My Sleeps Till Christmas widget is better. I wanted something thats stays on Android home screen. Not to search the app and open it up every time. Something Ike SETI, that was up at all times. Cute. But just not what I remember, or thought I did...

3 solid stars for the actual map that "Tracks Santa". Every other part of the app freezes my phone requiring a "restart" then "clear data" to get back into the map. Year after year this app is full of bugs but brilliant tracking map section when it works. This year the map is very stable just a real shame nothing else is! YOU DID NOT NEED THE MASK ON SANTA :(

First time trying the app. It's a no from me. Every time you tap on something, it let's you know you are about to leave the app for another site. Can't be doing with that. I've managed very well without an app for 15ish years. Just access it through your browser. I didn't hang about to see how many ad breaks there were either. I'm sure there are plenty.