Wireless & headless

Two ways to run PinDrift without a USB cable tied to your main computer. Wireless mode drops the cable after a one-time pairing, you keep using your computer as the host, just over Wi-Fi. Always-on mode keeps the teleport running even when your main computer is off, by leaving PinDrift on a machine you keep powered.

Wireless mode

By default, PinDrift connects to your phone with a USB cable. Wireless mode lets you skip the cable. Once enabled, your phone and your computer (or an always-on host) communicate over your Wi-Fi network.

What you need

• An iPhone running iOS 17+ or an Android phone running Android 12+
• A one-time USB pairing, PinDrift handles this automatically the first time you plug in
• The phone and the host (your computer or an always-on machine) on the same Wi-Fi network

How to enable

1. Plug the phone in once over USB. Complete the trust prompt and let PinDrift finish its one-time setup with the phone. (You only do this once; it lets the phone reconnect later over Wi-Fi.)
2. Open PinDrift → Device tab. When the phone is detected, click the Wireless toggle on the device card.
3. Unplug the cable. PinDrift switches to Wi-Fi within a few seconds; the device stays in the list with a Wi-Fi icon next to it.

If wireless mode isn't working

Almost always, it's one of two things on the phone side:

1. iCloud Private Relay is on (iPhone)

iCloud Private Relay is included with iCloud+ and is on by default for paying iCloud users. It blocks PinDrift from finding your iPhone over Wi-Fi.

Fix: iPhone Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Private Relay → Off. (Or set it to "Use Country and Time Zone," which preserves Safari's protection but lets PinDrift through.)

2. A VPN is running on the phone

Any full-tunnel VPN (Proton VPN, Mullvad, NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, 1.1.1.1 / Cloudflare WARP, Tailscale in default config, and similar) blocks local-network discovery the same way Private Relay does.

Fix: Either disable the VPN while using PinDrift, or enable the "Allow Local Network" / "Split tunnel" / "Bypass for local network" setting inside the VPN's app. Most modern VPNs have this option.

Other things to check

• Wi-Fi is on and connected to the same network as your computer or always-on host. Guest networks are usually isolated and won't work.
• Phone is awake or charging. iOS aggressively powers Wi-Fi down when the phone is idle and unplugged. Plug it in or set it on a wireless charging pad.
• You completed the one-time USB pairing. PinDrift will tell you if it hasn't seen your phone over USB yet.
• Router has client isolation off. Some mesh systems and corporate Wi-Fi turn this on by default; it stops devices on the same network from seeing each other.

Phone only, worldwide: teleport from anywhere with Tailscale

This is the part people come for. Pair your iPhone once, leave PinDrift running on a host you keep at home (see always-on below), and add Tailscale (free for personal use) to the host and the phone. After that you carry nothing but your phone: from a hotel, another city, or another country, you reach your home host over Tailscale and start or change the teleport completely remotely. No shared network, no cable, no laptop in your bag. See the full Tailscale setup guide.

1. Pair your iPhone once to your home host over USB, then switch it to wireless mode. You never need the cable again.
2. Install Tailscale on the host and the phone, signed in to the same free account, so they share one private network.
3. Leave the host running at home. PinDrift detects the Tailscale link and uses it as the wireless transport automatically.
4. Take only your phone. Anywhere with internet, reach your host over Tailscale, set the location, and your iPhone reports it, fully remote.

Always-on (keep the teleport running with your main computer off)

By default your iPhone returns to its real GPS the moment the controlling computer disconnects or shuts down, that is an iOS limitation. Always-on mode works around it: leave PinDrift running on any machine you keep powered on, and it holds the teleport 24/7. There is no separate hardware to buy, it is built into the app.

What you need

• Any Windows or macOS machine you can leave on, a spare laptop, a mini-PC, or a desktop you do not shut down
• A one-time USB pairing between that machine and your iPhone
• A home Wi-Fi network (add Tailscale if the phone will travel, see the section above)

How it works

1. Pick a host you leave on. Install PinDrift on a machine that stays powered, separate from the computer you use day to day.
2. Pair your phone once over USB, then switch that device to wireless mode (see above).
3. Leave PinDrift running on the host. Your phone keeps reporting the location you set, and your main computer can be off, asleep, or somewhere else entirely.
4. (Optional) Add Tailscale so the host and phone can sit on different networks anywhere on Earth.

Wireless vs. headless: which one do I want?

Still stuck? Send your phone model, OS version, the VPN apps you have installed (if any), and a description of what you're seeing via the contact form.