Frequently asked questions

PinDrift is a desktop app for Windows and macOS that sets your iPhone's GPS to any location you choose, or moves it along a route you draw or record. People use it to test location-based apps and games, protect their privacy, and develop and QA software without traveling. It runs on iPhone and, through a standalone app, on Android.

No. PinDrift uses Apple's standard developer connection, the same mechanism Xcode uses, over a USB cable or wirelessly over your own network. There is no jailbreak, and iOS itself is never modified. Driving the location from the desktop app installs nothing on the phone. Every paid plan also includes the PinDrift iPhone app, which the desktop app installs once over USB so the phone can then hold and move its own location with no computer involved; it is an ordinary app and you can delete it like any other. You will enable Developer Mode on the iPhone once during setup, and the app walks you through it.

Yes. Download and try PinDrift on your own hardware first, with no card and no signup, so you can confirm it works with your iPhone before paying. The trial has the same core features as the paid plans.

A Windows 10/11 or macOS computer and an iPhone on iOS 17 or later, connected by USB the first time. On Windows the app runs with administrator rights so it can detect your device. After that first pairing you have a choice: keep driving the location from the computer, over USB or your own Wi-Fi, in which case the computer has to stay powered and reachable; or install the PinDrift iPhone app, included with every paid plan, and let the phone run on its own with no computer at all. Setup guide →

Monthly ($9/mo): renews each month; cancel anytime from your account portal.

Yearly ($60/yr): renews once a year; cancel anytime from your account portal.

Lifetime ($70 once): pay once, own your installed version forever. No subscription, nothing to cancel.

All three share the same free trial, every feature and the iPhone app, and differ only in how long the term runs and what you pay. Upgrade from Yearly to Lifetime anytime from your account portal; if you upgrade within 30 days of a Yearly charge, we credit that charge against the $70.

5-Day Pass ($5 once): five days of the full app for a single payment. It ends on its own, there is nothing to cancel, and Advanced Spoofing is not part of it.

The older 10-Day Pass is no longer sold. If you already own one it keeps working exactly as before.

Download PinDrift, then pick your plan inside the app. Checkout is handled by Stripe in your browser, and your license binds to that PC when payment completes. Buying in the app is what links the purchase to your computer so it is ready to use the moment you pay.

No. Every paid plan includes all future updates at no additional charge. No annual maintenance fee, no "premium" upgrade tier, no requirement to repurchase the software when a new version ships. Lifetime holders keep receiving updates indefinitely; Yearly holders receive updates for the duration of their active subscription.

Yearly cancels anytime from your account portal (Manage billing); you keep access until the period you already paid for ends. Lifetime is a one-time purchase with nothing to cancel. The free trial is there so you can verify PinDrift works on your hardware before paying; if something is not working, contact us and we will help.

Stripe handles checkout: Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, JCB, Diners Club, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Cash App Pay, plus Klarna and Afterpay on supported currencies.

One active host PC at a time, with an automatic move every 180 days. Need to move sooner (lost or broken PC)? Use the one-time emergency switch from your account. Move from Settings → License → Move to a new PC, or sign in at pindrift.app/account from any browser.

Yes, and there are two ways. On a paid plan the PinDrift iPhone app runs the whole thing on the phone itself, including saved places and routes, with no computer involved once it is installed. Or, while the computer is driving the location, you can use the phone as a remote control for it over your network, and Tailscale lets that keep working on other Wi-Fi networks rather than just your own.

Android is written and running, and it has not been released yet. It is not a companion to the desktop app: it is a standalone Android app that holds and moves its own location with no computer involved, using Android's own mock-location provider, which you turn on by picking PinDrift in Developer Options. No root, no Play Store and no Google Play Services. It installs from pindrift.app and updates itself after that. Existing licences will cover Android at no extra charge once it lands. The download page offers it the day it ships.

Every account gets a personal code. When someone uses it at checkout, you earn points based on what they buy, and you redeem those points for free PinDrift time on your account page. Bigger plans earn more, and points are awarded on a buyer's first purchase. Open the "How do I earn points?" panel on your account to see the full ladder.

Linking your Discord from your account auto-grants the Supporter role and connects you to member rewards and updates. You can unlink anytime, which also removes the role.

We collect the minimum needed to run your license and never sell your data. PinDrift is a testing and privacy tool: you are responsible for using it lawfully and within the terms of the apps you use it with. See our Privacy Policy and Acceptable Use for details.