USPS has two free tracking apps for iPhone and Android: the USPS Mobile app and the Informed Delivery Mobile app, which USPS launched on October 2, 2025. Both let you track a package with its tracking number. The Informed Delivery app adds push notifications, barcode scanning, package sharing and previews of the letter mail arriving at your address.
This guide explains which USPS tracking app to use, how to set up the Informed Delivery app, and how to track a package with your phone. For every other way to track, see our complete guide to USPS tracking.
Which USPS Tracking App Should You Use?
Use the Informed Delivery Mobile app if you want automatic updates on everything coming to your address. Use the USPS Mobile app, or the tracking page on usps.com, if you only want to look up a tracking number now and then. Both draw on the same USPS Tracking data, so a scan shows up in both.
| Feature | Informed Delivery Mobile app | USPS Mobile app / usps.com |
|---|---|---|
| Track a package by number | Yes | Yes |
| Scan a barcode to track | Yes | Yes, in the USPS Mobile app |
| See packages coming to your address automatically | Yes, after you sign up for Informed Delivery | No, you add each number |
| Push notifications | Yes | Text and email updates for each package |
| Preview incoming letter mail | Yes | No |
| Share a package’s status | Yes | No |
| Cost | Free | Free |
What Does the USPS Informed Delivery App Do?
The Informed Delivery Mobile app brings USPS’s free Informed Delivery service to your phone. Before the app, you could get Informed Delivery only by email or on informeddelivery.usps.com. According to USPS’s October 2, 2025 announcement and the app’s page on usps.com, it offers:
- Push notifications for updates to incoming mail and packages.
- Package tracking for inbound and outbound packages, including scanning a tracking number or barcode with your camera.
- Package sharing, so you can send a package’s status to someone else.
- Mail previews of the letter-size mail due to arrive at your address.
- Delivery management, such as editing delivery instructions and scheduling a redelivery.
- Optional biometric login with Face ID or a fingerprint.
- A secondary address, such as a PO Box, in the same app, plus dark mode and landscape view.
How Do You Set Up the USPS Informed Delivery App?
- Download the app. Search for “USPS Informed Delivery” in the Apple App Store or Google Play. USPS links to both from usps.com/apps/informed-delivery.
- Sign in or create a USPS.com account. Informed Delivery is tied to a residential or PO Box address, and USPS asks you to verify that you live there before it shows that address’s mail.
- Turn on notifications so the app can alert you when a package’s status changes.
- Turn on biometric login if you want, so you can open the app with Face ID or a fingerprint.
- Add any package that isn’t showing automatically by scanning its barcode or typing its tracking number.
Packages addressed to you usually appear on their own once you’re enrolled. Packages you send, or ones that aren’t linked to your address, can be added by number.
How Do You Track a USPS Package on Your Phone?
Open either app, tap the tracking option and enter the tracking number, or scan the barcode on the label or receipt. Most USPS domestic tracking numbers are 20–22 digits long. International tracking numbers are usually 13 characters, starting with two letters and ending in “US”. If you can’t find the number, our guide to finding a USPS tracking number on your receipt shows where it’s printed.
The app then shows the latest scan and the full scan history, with an expected delivery date once USPS has one. Our guide to every USPS tracking status meaning explains each scan event. Some USPS labels also carry a QR code, and our USPS tracking QR code tips explain when scanning one helps.
If you don’t want an app at all, you can track on usps.com or sign up for text and email updates for a single package from its tracking page.
Why Isn’t the USPS App Showing Updates?
The apps show only what USPS has scanned, so a package with no recent scan looks frozen in the app too. That’s common right after a label is created, while a package travels between processing plants, and in the first day after a drop-off. Updates aren’t instant: a scan can take a few hours to appear.
Our guides to USPS tracking not updating and tracking that doesn’t update after drop-off explain how long to wait and when to contact USPS. If a delivery attempt failed, you can schedule a USPS redelivery from the app or usps.com.
Can the USPS App Track Packages From Other Carriers?
No. USPS’s apps only track packages in the USPS network. UPS and FedEx tracking numbers won’t return results, so use the carrier’s own app or site. Our UPS tracking and delivery guide covers UPS packages, and our roundup of package tracking services compares multi-carrier options.
If you send packages yourself, every USPS label you buy through ParcelPath comes with a standard USPS tracking number that works in both USPS apps and on usps.com. ParcelPath is free and offers up to 89% off USPS and up to 85% off UPS, with no subscription or per-label fee. You can compare live USPS and UPS rates for your package in a few seconds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an official USPS tracking app?
Yes, two of them, and both are free on iPhone and Android. The USPS Mobile app tracks packages by number or barcode, and the Informed Delivery Mobile app, launched on October 2, 2025, adds push notifications, package sharing and previews of incoming letter mail for your address. Both show the same USPS Tracking scans.
Is the USPS Informed Delivery app free?
Yes. Informed Delivery is a free USPS service, and the app costs nothing to download from the Apple App Store or Google Play. You need a USPS.com account, and USPS asks you to verify your address before the app shows the mail and packages coming to it.
Can I track a package in the USPS app without Informed Delivery?
Yes. You can enter or scan any USPS tracking number in the USPS Mobile app or on usps.com without enrolling in Informed Delivery. Enrollment only matters if you want packages addressed to you to appear automatically, along with mail previews and push notifications from the Informed Delivery app.
Why is my USPS app tracking not updating?
The app shows only scans USPS has recorded, so gaps usually mean the package is between scan points, often while it travels between processing plants. Scans can take a few hours to appear. If nothing changes for several days, or the expected delivery date passes, contact USPS with your tracking number.
Sources
- USPS Newsroom: USPS Launches Informed Delivery Mobile App (October 2, 2025)
- USPS: Informed Delivery Mobile App
Part of our USPS Tracking guide. Related: USPS Tracking Not Updating, USPS Tracking Not Updating After Drop Off.
