Norad Tracks Santa vs Google Santa Tracker: Which tracks Father Christmas best?

(Pocket-lint) - Christmas is astir upon america and that means the large antheral is retired delivering presents. You tin support an oculus connected him arsenic it does it too.

There are a fewer truly bully options for the young and aged to support abreast of the movements of Father Christmas online.

Plane Finder is simply a comparative newcomer to the concept. It has added Santa's sleigh to its accustomed aeroplane tracking system, both online and successful its iOS and Android apps, and it's worthy checking out. Also, Sky has its ain Santa Tracker connected Sky Q successful the UK - you tin conscionable usage your dependable to inquire "where's Santa?" oregon "where's Father Christmas?" utilizing the Sky Q remote.

However, some NORAD and Google person been offering akin services for galore years now, and they connection overmuch much than conscionable tracking - including games and different large bonuses. But which of them should you bookmark?

We compared the NORAD Tracks Santa and Google Santa Tracker to spot what they person to connection and which is champion for tracking Santa.

What is NORAD Tracks Santa and what does it feature?

The North American Aerospace Defense Command, oregon NORAD, has been tracking Santa for implicit 60 years. NORAD has a website that lets you way the large bearded antheral arsenic helium delivers presents astir the world. When you spell to the website, you tin participate Santa's Village to larn astir antithetic vacation traditions arsenic good arsenic NORAD and it's ongoing to ngo to way Santa.

NORAD's website looks somewhat much dated and not arsenic agleam and vibrant oregon modern arsenic Google's. We bask that determination are cute animations connected the homepage, but everything looks a spot cluttered astatine the aforesaid time. The item of the tract is astir apt the euphony subordinate astatine the bottom. We besides similar the Let's Go fastener placed implicit the Earth astatine the top, which brings you straight to Santa's Village.

It's worthy exploring Santa's Village truthful sojourn the antithetic aspects and perceive to Christmas songs. However, if you sojourn the tract connected Christmas Eve, you'll instantly spot a countdown that's superimposed implicit animated artwork depicting the Earth orbited by satellites. And, of course, mounted astatine the precise apical is the North Pole, location of Santa and his small helpers.

NORAD website and app

You tin entree NORAD done its website and apps for Android and iOS. They're escaped to use.

How NORAD tracks Santa:

It's important to retrieve that NORAD and Google usually presumption Father Christmas astatine antithetic places, and that's due to the fact that they usage antithetic methods to way Santa. It's besides due to the fact that Santa tends to moves truthful accelerated that he's hard to pinpoint! Once you spot him successful 1 location, helium jumps to the adjacent successful an instant. From the web browser, NORAD automatically takes you to a 3D presumption of wherever Santa is flying.

At the bottommost of that screen, you'll spot an estimation of fig of gifts delivered. You tin besides spot wherever Santa was past seen and wherever he's heading to next. You tin click and resistance with your rodent to rotate the view, arsenic good arsenic usage keyboard buttons successful the apical close country to zoom successful and out. Furthermore, you could usage 2D/3D fastener successful the apical near to get a 2D-view of the world.

Camera icons amusement places wherever helium has been spotted connected NORAD's Santa Cam, and erstwhile clicked, you'll spot video of Santa flying astir antithetic landmarks and large cities of the world. To spot each the clips that person been recorded, successful the NORAD map, you click an icon connected the tracker representation to spot a playlist. Many of these features are besides disposable done the NORAD mobile apps.

What is the Google Santa Tracker and what does it feature?

Google's been tracking Santa since 2004 and updates its yearly Santa Tracker due to the fact that it wants kids checking backmost each time successful the tally up to Christmas. Like NORAD, the refreshed instrumentality doubles arsenic a hub of activities. Google besides an country called Santa's Village, too, and from the opening of December radical person been capable to sojourn the colony to play games and larn astir vacation traditions astir the world.

Google has updated its tracker successful caller years to marque it easier to navigate. Before, it wasn't wide what was new, but now, there's a wide timeline for each time successful December, starring you on a way to Christmas Eve. You tin besides click the paper fastener successful the apical near of the leafage to spot what contented is caller today. Google's contented offering is really, precise good. The games are amusive and the quality to larn codification is cool.

You tin adjacent ticker Santa hole for instrumentality disconnected connected Christmas Eve. But we rather similar the Santa Selfie activity, which lets you shave Santa's beard and stroke adust it. You tin adjacent alteration its colour to yellowish oregon pinkish oregon immoderate to assistance Santa get acceptable for the large night. The Elf Maker is amusive too. On Christmas Eve, some the website and app amusement a countdown.

So, children who are particularly anxious for Christmas to get present present volition astir apt similar Google's offering (ho ho).

Website and app

You tin entree Google's Santa Tracker done its website, Android app, and hold for Chrome. They're escaped to use.

How Google tracks Santa:

Similar to NORAD's tracker map, Google's representation shows Santa's existent location, on with details astir his adjacent stop, an estimation of gifts delivered, and his region from you. Google's representation shows places Santa's visits by default, truthful you tin click connected that determination to larn much astir it and spot animated videos. You tin besides spot occasional presumption updates from Santa (sort of similar a News Feed).

The app works with Wear OS watches, too, truthful you could download a Santa Tracker ticker face, allowing you to measurement distant from your telephone oregon machine for the nighttime and truly bask clip with family. But, if you don't caput being tethered to a desk, Google besides offered a Chrome browser extension. It puts an icon successful the apical close of your browser to uncover Santa's determination astatine a glance.

The Android app tin load Santa's presumption arsenic well, and it has the quality to Chromecast Santa's location. But the easiest mode to find Santa's determination is to simply spell to Google.com. From there, each you person to bash is hunt for "Santa" to get his existent location.

Writing by Maggie Tillman and Elyse Betters. Editing by Rik Henderson. Originally published connected 2 December 2014.