Tricks with Geolocation: How to Fake Your Smartphone’s Location

Modern smartphones have long been equipped with location services that combine GPS with other features like Wi-Fi and cell tower triangulation, helping to pinpoint your location almost anywhere in the world. Usually, this works very well, but what if you want your iPhone or Android device to think it’s somewhere else?

Maybe you want to use an app to find stores or restaurants in another city, access services available only in a specific country or region, or play a location-based mobile game. Whatever your reason, sometimes it’s useful to appear to be somewhere else—even if only virtually. The good news is that with the right tools, faking your GPS location isn’t hard, regardless of your mobile platform.

Before we begin, it’s important to note that GPS spoofing isn’t foolproof and can have unintended side effects. For example, when you run an app that fakes your GPS location, it can affect built-in system services like Find My Device, since the location of any nearby security tags will be reported incorrectly.

Additionally, in an emergency, the wrong location could be sent to emergency services. So, if you trip and fall while playing Pokémon GO with a fake location, it may be harder for first responders to find you using your phone’s info.

Some apps may also detect that you’re spoofing your location and refuse to work until you stop. Finally, if you just want to hide from the world, you don’t need to go this far—simply turn off location services, and none of your apps will know your exact whereabouts. However, websites may still determine your city using your IP address.

Let’s look at some popular methods for faking your location on both Android and iOS.

Using a VPN Instead of GPS Spoofing

You may have heard that Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) can be used to fake your location. They can achieve the desired result, but remember, they only work at the network level by masking your real IP address.

This trick doesn’t change where your phone thinks it actually is. Still, it works well with most online services, since they rarely bother to use GPS to confirm your location. Plus, this method is fully cross-platform.

If VPNs aren’t suitable for your needs, let’s look at methods that directly interfere with your phone’s GPS.

How to Fake Your GPS Location on Android

1. Enable Developer Mode on your Android device. Usually, this is done by tapping the build number or OS version five times in the “About Phone” section of your settings.
2. Open the Google Play Store and install the “Fake GPS” app.
3. Open the installed app. You should see a pop-up with instructions on how to set it as your location app. Select “Development Settings” to go to developer options.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the developer settings and select “Select mock location app.” Here, choose the recently installed “Fake GPS.”
5. Return to the app and drag the GPS marker to the location you want to simulate. Then tap the blue “Play” button in the bottom right corner. You can also manually enter latitude and longitude.
6. As long as location services are enabled, mapping apps and other software that use GPS will now report your location based on the point you set in Fake GPS. Note that some apps, like Yandex Maps, may still detect your real location using other methods, but Google Maps works well with this trick.
7. To return to your real location, open Fake GPS and tap the red “Stop” button in the bottom right corner. You can also go back to developer settings and set “None” for the mock location app.

How to Fake Your GPS Location on iPhone

If you use an iPhone, faking your GPS location is much harder than on Android, mainly due to Apple’s strict security restrictions. Still, there is a way to do it.

First, don’t waste your time on App Store apps that promise to fake your location in two clicks—none of them work as advertised. Only apps that use jailbreaking can achieve this, and we strongly advise against jailbreaking your iPhone.

If you’re not willing to jailbreak, the only way to fake your location is to connect your iPhone to an external device, such as a Mac or PC, running software that can send fake GPS data to your phone.

This method works because iPhones support external GPS receivers. For example, when using CarPlay, your phone switches to your car’s GPS, since external antennas usually provide a stronger signal and more accurate location.

There are several apps for iPhone that use this feature, effectively acting as an external GPS to input any location you choose. The most reliable ones are iMyFone AnyTo, 3uTools, and GeoPort.

• iMyFone AnyTo works via a $15/month subscription or a $90 one-time purchase.
• 3uTools is completely free but often reverts to your real location.
• GeoPort is open-source and has proven to be the most reliable.

GeoPort is an open-source project that lets you easily send any GPS location to your iPhone or iPad. It even supports importing GPX and other tracking files and connecting to your device via Wi-Fi. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Download and install the latest version of GeoPort from the official website on your computer. Mac (Intel and Apple Silicon), Windows, and Linux are supported.
2. Connect your iPhone to your computer using a Lightning or USB-C cable. After initial setup, you can use Wi-Fi for convenience.
3. Open GeoPort and enter your system password if prompted. A new GeoPort window will open in your default browser.
4. Click the dropdown in the “Select Device” section and choose your iPhone or iPad.
5. To use GeoPort or any other spoofing app, your device must be in developer mode. GeoPort will offer to do this for you, but you’ll need to remove your device passcode. This will also remove all Apple Pay cards from your Apple Wallet.
6. Once developer mode is enabled, make sure your iPhone or iPad is selected in GeoPort, then enter the location you want to simulate in the “Location” field at the bottom of the interface. You can enter latitude and longitude, an address, city, or place name. Note that GeoPort doesn’t provide a list of address matches—it picks the first and closest, so be as specific as possible.
7. While viewing the map, use the plus or minus buttons in the top left to zoom in or out. You can also drag the location marker manually for more precise placement.
8. When ready, click “Simulate Location” to send the chosen location to your iPhone. You can continue updating your location by moving the marker and clicking “Simulate Location” again. Changes should appear on your device almost instantly. Additional options to the left of the map let you save locations or simulate movement.
9. To stop spoofing, click “Stop Location.” Disconnecting your iPhone (if using USB) will also let it return to using its built-in GPS, though this may take a few minutes.

Conclusion

The ability to fake your smartphone’s location opens up interesting possibilities, but it requires a responsible approach. While it can be useful for certain tasks, it’s important to remember the potential risks and ethical considerations.

Manipulating location data can disrupt important services and apps, and undermine trust in the digital space. Before using these methods, carefully weigh the pros and cons, and make sure your actions won’t harm yourself or others.

Ultimately, honesty and transparency in technology use help create a safer and more reliable digital world for everyone.