Why your simulated iPhone location keeps going back to your real one

The short answer

iOS doesn't let apps write a GPS position directly. Every no-jailbreak location tool, Xcode included, asks the iPhone's developer location service (the one Apple built for testing apps) to report a simulated point. That request lives on a connection: a cable or Wi-Fi link from a computer, or, for the Geovo iPhone app, a connection inside the phone made through the free LocalDevVPN app.

If that connection ends and nobody re-sends the point, the iPhone may go back to its real GPS. So "my location keeps resetting" almost always means one of three things:

1. The connection is dropping (cable, sleep, Wi-Fi, a tunnel, LocalDevVPN switched off).
2. The app holding it stopped (swiped away, closed by iOS, an update, an expired install).
3. Something ended it on purpose (a timer, a schedule, a plan limit, another device, a restart).

The opposite problem, a fake location that won't go away, has its own page: iPhone location stuck or wrong.

From a Mac or Windows PC

When you simulate from a computer, the computer is what talks to the iPhone. Over a USB cable that link is very steady. It ends if the cable is pulled, if the computer goes to sleep, or if a Wi-Fi link drops when the iPhone or the computer changes network.

• Keep the computer awake for long sessions. On a laptop, a closed lid usually means sleep.
• Prefer the cable for anything long. Geovo uses the cable when one is plugged in and Wi-Fi only when it isn't.
• A moving route can't continue while the computer can't reach the iPhone. For all-day use, switch to the iPhone app.

Xcode works the same way, with one extra limit: its simulated location belongs to the debugging session, so it ends when you stop running your app. See simulate location with Xcode.

From the iPhone itself (no computer)

The Geovo iPhone app holds the location on its own, through LocalDevVPN. It was built to hold a location all day: it reconnects within seconds after losing signal, and if iOS closes it, it puts your location back by itself. For that to work:

• Don't swipe Geovo away in the app switcher. That stops it, and your iPhone may go back to your real location. Pressing the Home button or swiping up to go home is fine.
• Allow location Always (Settings › Geovo › Location › Always). It lets Geovo keep running in your pocket and lets iOS relaunch it after closing it. Geovo uses this only while a simulation is on.
• Keep LocalDevVPN on. If it's off, Geovo shows "LocalDevVPN is off" and can't reach the phone's developer service. Why it's needed: why LocalDevVPN.
• On cellular, if Geovo says iOS is sending its connection over cellular, open Control Center, tap Cellular Data off, wait 2 seconds and tap it back on. Geovo carries on by itself. More in cellular and Airplane Mode.
• Leave Keep Running on. Settings › Keep Running has Silent Audio (inaudible audio so iOS keeps Geovo running; your music isn't affected) and Background Location (a low-accuracy location session that keeps Geovo alive through long locks). Both are active only while you're simulating.
• Low Power Mode can make iOS pause background apps sooner. If drops line up with it, try a session with Low Power Mode off.

Reasons it ends that aren't a bug

Some resets are the app doing what it was told:

• Killswitch / Auto-stop. A timer you set returns the iPhone to its real location (Killswitch in the iPhone app, Auto-stop on the computer). If it was due while the connection was down, it still ends the simulation when Geovo reconnects.
• A schedule with "return to real" at a set time.
• The free trial. A free account gets 15 minutes, once, and the trial needs the internet (it's counted online); when it runs out, or after about 3 minutes without a connection, Geovo returns the iPhone to its real location. Pro is unlimited and keeps working offline for up to 7 days. See pricing.
• Pro moved to another device. Pro works on 2 computers and 2 iPhones. Choosing "Use Pro here" on a third signs out the device used least recently.
• The 7-day install expired. The iPhone app is installed with your own Apple ID, and Apple lets apps installed that way run for 7 days. An expired app can't open, so it can't hold a location. Renew from the computer; Geovo reminds you before it expires. Background: why renew every 7 days.
• The iPhone restarted. A restart always clears a simulated location, whatever tool set it.

See exactly what happened

The Geovo iPhone app keeps a Connection Log (Settings › Help › Connection Log) on the phone: launches, drops, reconnect attempts, restores and anything that ended a simulation, including who ended it (you, Killswitch, a schedule, the plan or the computer). Each restore says how long the outage lasted and, when iOS reported it, whether apps saw your real location in the meantime. It never records coordinates or place names. If drops keep happening, share the log with support and we'll look at it.

Use it responsibly

Geovo is for lawful use only: testing apps and websites, keeping your exact position private from an app that doesn't need it, demos, travel planning and teaching how location services work. Don't use any location tool to mislead people who rely on your location, or to break the terms of an app or service you've agreed to. Stop simulating whenever your real location matters, for example in an emergency: tap Return to Real Location.