Get started
Set up your iPhone
Trust your computer, turn on Developer Mode and restart once. About five minutes.
You do this once for each iPhone. After that, you plug in and go.
The status dot
Pinmist shows your iPhone's name with a coloured dot that tells you what happens next.
| Dot | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Grey | No iPhone found. Check the cable and unlock the phone. |
| Amber | Something needs doing: trust, unlock, Developer Mode, a restart or, on Windows, Apple's iPhone driver. Click the device to see which. |
| Green, pulsing | Ready. Pick a spot and change your location. |
| Green, solid | Simulating. Your iPhone is reporting the location you chose. |
1. Plug in and unlock
Connect your iPhone to your computer with a USB cable and unlock it. Use a cable that carries data; some charging cables do not.
If your iPhone asks whether to allow access to photos and videos, you can choose either answer. Pinmist does not need your photos. If a photo import window opens on your computer, close it.
2. Trust this computer
Your iPhone asks Trust This Computer? Tap Trust and enter your passcode.
If you tapped Don't Trust by mistake, unplug the cable and plug it in again to be asked again. On Windows, if your iPhone does not ask at all, open the Apple Devices app with the iPhone plugged in.
3. Turn on Developer Mode
Location simulation is one of the iPhone's developer tools, so it needs Developer Mode. The switch stays hidden until a developer tool asks for it.
- In Pinmist, click your iPhone's name, then Reveal Developer Mode in Settings.
- On your iPhone, open Settings › Privacy & Security › Developer Mode. It is near the bottom.
- Turn Developer Mode on. iOS asks to restart. Tap Restart.
4. Restart and confirm
When your iPhone has restarted, unlock it. iOS asks whether to turn on Developer Mode. Tap Turn On and enter your passcode.
5. Check the dot
Back in Pinmist, your iPhone shows Preparing for a few seconds while Pinmist sets it up, then the dot turns green and pulses. You are ready to change your location.
Pinmist needs an internet connection to set up your iPhone. It does this the first time and again, briefly, after every restart of the iPhone. There is nothing to install yourself.
If the dot stays amber
- Unlock the iPhone and keep it unlocked while Pinmist connects.
- Check your computer is online. Pinmist needs the internet to set up your iPhone.
- Unplug and plug in again, or try another cable or USB port.
- Click the device in Pinmist. It tells you exactly what it is waiting for.
- Restart the iPhone, then your computer.
Turning Developer Mode off. You can switch it off at any time in Settings › Privacy & Security › Developer Mode. Pinmist cannot simulate a location again until you switch it back on, which takes another restart.