Routes
Simulate a route on a real iPhone: GPX, KML or a maps link
Updated · By the Geovo team
To move an iPhone along a route rather than jump to one point, you play the route through Apple's developer location service. Xcode can do it for your own app while it runs from Xcode, using GPX waypoints. Geovo does it for the whole iPhone, from a Mac, a Windows PC or the iPhone itself: import a GPX or KML file, paste a Google or Apple Maps directions link, or draw the route on the map, then play it at walking, cycling or road speeds.
Four ways to give Geovo a route
- A GPX file. Geovo imports GPX 1.0 and 1.1, including waypoints, routes and tracks, so files from fitness apps, mapping tools or your test suite work as they are.
- A KML file. Exports from Google Earth and Google My Maps work: Geovo reads the first path in the file (a line or a track), or else the placemark points in order. Zipped KMZ files aren't read; unzip them first. (KML import is new in Geovo 0.5.0.)
- A directions link. Paste a Google Maps or Apple Maps directions link and Geovo makes a route with all its stops, on the computer or the iPhone.
- Drawn on the map. Click stops on the map; with Follow roads on, Geovo routes between them along real streets. Add a wait at any stop.
To go somewhere in one step, pick a place and use Drive here: the iPhone travels there along real roads at each road's typical speed.
Play it at a realistic pace
Choose Walk (5 km/h), Run (11 km/h), Bike (18 km/h) or Drive, which follows each road's typical speed. While a trip plays, the bar shows distance and time left, and you can Pause, Resume or change speed mid-trip. After the last stop the route can stop, loop to the start or go back and forth, which is handy for long soak tests.
Steps on a Mac or PC
- Download Geovo, plug in the iPhone, tap Trust and turn on Developer Mode (how).
- Open the Route panel and click Import GPX / KML, paste a directions link, or click stops on the map.
- Pick the speed and what happens after the last stop.
- Click Start route. Press Stop whenever you want the real location back.
After plugging in once, the computer can also play routes over Wi-Fi with the iPhone unplugged, on the same network (new in 0.4.0).
Steps on the iPhone
In Geovo's iPhone app, tap the route button, then Import GPX or KML or paste a directions link, and start. It keeps playing on Wi-Fi or cellular with nothing plugged in, thanks to the free LocalDevVPN helper. Setup: change location without a computer.
| Xcode | Geovo | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the route applies | Your app, while it runs from Xcode | The whole iPhone: any app, any build |
| Computer | Mac only | Mac, Windows 10/11, or the iPhone itself |
| File formats | GPX waypoints (Apple's Xcode Help says rte and trk aren't supported) | GPX (waypoints, routes, tracks) and KML |
| Other sources | None | Google or Apple Maps directions links, routes drawn on the map |
| Pace | Set by waypoint timestamps | Walk, run, bike or road speeds; pause, resume, speed change |
| Export | Not applicable | Export a route, or the session's track, as GPX |
Share and replay routes
Export route saves the route you built as GPX, and Export session track saves everything that was sent to the iPhone in the last session, with timestamps. Commit test routes to your repo so the whole team replays the same path. Routes you use often can be kept as saved trips, and Send to iPhone copies favorites and trips to the iPhone app over the cable.
For more testing workflows (geofences, tracking, regional content), see testing location features on a real iPhone and testing geofences. Using Xcode too? Simulate location with Xcode covers its GPX format.
Price
Free for 30 minutes every day with every feature, after a 10-minute try without an account. Pro is unlimited: $5.99/week, $11.99/month, $24.99 for 3 months, $69.99/year ($5.83/month) or $99.99 once for lifetime. See pricing.
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.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I play a GPX file on a real iPhone without Xcode?
- Yes. Geovo imports GPX on a Mac or Windows PC, or in its iPhone app, and plays it on the whole iPhone at the speed you choose. No Xcode or app project is needed.
- Does Geovo support KML from Google Earth or My Maps?
- Yes, since Geovo 0.5.0. It reads the first line or track in the file, or the placemark points in order. Unzip KMZ files first.
- Can I turn a Google Maps route into a simulated drive?
- Yes. Paste a Google Maps or Apple Maps directions link and Geovo makes a route with all its stops, then plays it at road speeds.
- Why won't my GPX track play in Xcode?
- Apple's Xcode Help says only GPX waypoints are supported, not routes or tracks. Geovo reads waypoints, routes and tracks.
- Can I export a route I drew?
- Yes. Export route saves it as GPX, and Export session track saves what was actually sent to the iPhone, with times.
Try Geovo free
30 minutes every day, every feature. Mac and Windows.