If you have worked on these features, you would know that just manually running around the map is basically insufficient for testing, such as:

  • Food delivery range
  • City-switching content
  • Nearby people/stores
  • Region restriction policies

Especially when multiple cities and various boundary conditions are involved, testing costs increase rapidly.

So in actual development, I usually directly modify the device’s positioning data to verify logic.

Why I Don’t Simply Change Location on the Phone

Many people’s first reaction is to use the phone’s location settings to change it?

But in reality:

  • iOS does not allow arbitrary modification of GPS
  • The simulator is not equivalent to a real device
  • App behavior differs significantly between real devices and simulators

So if you need to verify real-world performance, you have to operate on a real device.

Common Methods

Method 1: Xcode Simulated Location

Suitable for the development phase:

  • Can set GPX paths
  • Can simulate movement trajectories

But there are several issues:

  • Requires a Mac
  • Not convenient for testers
  • Not suitable for quickly switching between multiple cities

Method 2: Third-Party Virtual Positioning Apps

Some apps can modify location, but with many limitations:

  • Unstable compatibility
  • Easily detected by apps
  • Operation is not intuitive

A More Stable Method Used in Practice

In project testing, I more commonly use device tools to directly modify GPS.

I use Keymob Developer Assistant

Actual Operation Steps (Can Follow Directly)

1 Connect the Device

  • Connect iPhone via USB
  • Open Keymob Developer Assistant

Once the device is recognized, you will see the device information screen.

2 Enter Common Operations

On the device information page, you can see an area:

Common Operations

This includes:

  • Restart device
  • Rename
  • Virtual location
  • Screenshot

3 Open Virtual Location

Click on Virtual Location

4 Input Latitude and Longitude

Here is a key point: use accurate latitude and longitude.

You can obtain coordinates via map tools, for example:

  • Baidu Maps / Google Maps
  • Right-click to copy coordinates
    latitude and longitude

For example:

Shanghai: 31.2304, 121.4737
Beijing: 39.9042, 116.4074

5 Confirm the Modification

After input, click confirm.

6 Verify if It Took Effect

Method 1: Open the Map App

  • Check current location
  • See if it has changed

Method 2: Open the Target App

  • See if content has changed
  • E.g., city, recommended content

Advanced: Combine with Logs to Observe Behavior

Sometimes just looking at the UI is not enough.

For example:

  • Why didn’t the content change?
  • Did it request the wrong API?

Use Real-Time Logs

I also open real-time logs simultaneously.

Observe:

  • Network request URLs
  • Location information in parameters

This confirms whether the app actually uses the new GPS.

Even More Advanced: Use with Performance Testing

In some scenarios, location changes affect performance:

  • Map loading
  • Data request volume
  • Image resources

At this point, you can combine with performance charts (CPU / Memory)

Switch locations while observing changes.