This might seem like a weird thing to do, since most of us use GPS for tasks that need our real location, like when finding directions and weather updates. However, there are legitimate reasons to change your phone’s location to a fake one. Unfortunately, doing so isn’t very straightforward. There isn’t a “fake GPS location” setting built in to either iOS or Android, and neither do most apps let you spoof your location through a simple option.
Android Location Spoofing
Search for “fake GPS” on Google Play, and you’ll find tons of options, some free and others not, and some that require your phone to be rooted. One app that doesn’t need your phone to be rooted—so long as you’re using Android 6.0 or newer—is called FakeGPS Free, and it’s really easy to use it to fake your Android phone location. If you’re interested in trying a different Android location spoofer, we’ve confirmed that the following free location changing apps work much like FakeGPS Free: Fake GPS, Fly GPS, and Fake GPS Location. In recent versions of Android, select While using the app (older versions might call this something different) on the first prompt, and then ACCEPT if you see the advertising message. Another method is to use Xposed Framework. You can install an app, such as Fake My GPS, to let certain apps use the pretend location and others use your real location. You can find similar modules by searching through the Xposed Module Repository on your computer or the Xposed Installer app on your phone.
iPhone Location Spoofing
Faking your iPhone location isn’t as easy as it is on an Android device—you can’t just download an app for it. However, software makers have built desktop programs that make this easy.
Fake iPhone or iPad Location With 3uTools
3uTools is the best way to fake your iPhone or iPad location because the software is free, and we’ve confirmed that it works with iOS and iPadOS 16.
Fake iPhone or iPad Location With iTools
Another way to spoof your iPhone’s location without jailbreaking is with iTools from ThinkSky. Unlike 3uTools, it also runs on macOS and can simulate movement, but it’s free only for a limited time and is said to work up through only iOS 12. Restart your device to pull real GPS data again.
Why Would You Fake Your Location?
There are lots of situations where you might set up a fake GPS location, both for fun and for other reasons. You can now exit the Virtual Location window in iTools as well as the program itself. If you’re asked whether to stop the simulation, you can choose No to make sure that your fake GPS location stays even when you unplug your phone. To get your real location back, return to the map and select Stop Simulation. You can also reboot your device to immediately start using its real location again. However, remember that you can fake your phone’s location with iTools only within the 24-hour trial period; you’ll need to use an entirely different computer if you want to run the trial again. The fake location will remain as long as you don’t restart your device. Maybe you want to change your location so that something like a dating app thinks you’re a hundred miles away, perfect if you’re planning to move somewhere and want to get ahead of the dating game. Spoofing your location might also come into play when using a location-based game like Pokémon GO. Instead of having to actually travel several miles away to pick up a different Pokémon type, you could trick your phone into telling the game that you’re already there, and it will assume your fake location is accurate. Other reasons to set up a mock GPS location might be if you want to “travel” to Dubai and check-in to a restaurant you’ve never actually been to, or visit a famous landmark to trick your Facebook friends into thinking you’re on an extravagant vacation. You can also use your fake GPS location to fool your family or friends in your location-sharing app, to hide your real location from apps that request it, and even to set your real location if GPS satellites aren’t doing a great job at finding it for you.
GPS Spoofing Problems
Before getting started, please know that although it can be a lot of fun to fake your location, it’s not always helpful. Plus, because GPS spoofing isn’t a built-in option, it isn’t just a click away to get it going, and location fakers don’t always work for every app that reads your location. If you install a fake GPS location app on your phone to use it for, say, a video game, you’ll find that other apps that you want to use your real location with will also use the fake location. For example, the game might very well use your spoofed address to your advantage, but if you open your navigation app to get directions somewhere, you’ll have to either turn off the location spoofer or manually adjust your starting location. The same is true for other things like checking in to restaurants, staying current on your family-based GPS locator, checking the surrounding weather, etc. If you’re tricking your location system-wide for everything on your phone, it will, obviously, affect the location in all your location-based apps.
