Dr.Fone Virtual Location was for years the "safe brand name" pick for iPhone GPS spoofing, bundled into Wondershare's well-known toolkit. That ended in August 2024, when Wondershare announced it would stop updating the product. There was no shutdown headline: the tool still launches, existing subscriptions still run, and that is exactly the trap. Every major iOS release breaks USB spoofers until the vendor ships a fix, and for Virtual Location no fix is coming. If it has not broken on your iPhone yet, it is a matter of time. Below are the tools that actually replace it, plus what to do about a licence you already paid for.
Replacements at a Glance
| If You Used Dr.Fone For | Move To | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| General GPS spoofing (closest match) | Tenorshare iAnyGo | $9.99/mo, $69.99 lifetime |
| Route simulation, nicer UI | iMyFone AnyTo | $12.95/mo, $79.95 lifetime |
| Cheapest lifetime licence | LocaChange | $59.99 lifetime |
| Pokemon GO without a computer | GFaker Pro (Bluetooth dongle) | $50-$120 once |
| Sending fake locations in chat | Location Changer | Free |
Tenorshare iAnyGo: The Closest Replacement
iAnyGo does everything Virtual Location did, the same way: desktop app, USB cable, one-click teleport, joystick, simulated routes at walking or driving speed. On top of that it adds the best Pokemon GO cooldown timer in the category and native GPX import. Crucially for anyone burned by Dr.Fone, Tenorshare has kept its update turnaround fast across iOS releases. $9.99/month or $69.99 lifetime, Mac and Windows.
The honest caveat: Tenorshare is the same kind of company as Wondershare, and what happened to Virtual Location can happen to any tool in this category. Pay monthly first, confirm it works on your iOS version, and only then consider lifetime.
iMyFone AnyTo: Better UI, Better Routes
If what you liked about Dr.Fone was that it felt like consumer software rather than a hacker tool, AnyTo is the natural home. Cleanest multi-stop route editor in the category, polished interface, and an optional Bluetooth mode that keeps the connection to your computer without the cable. Slightly pricier at $12.95/month or $79.95 lifetime. See our full iAnyGo vs AnyTo comparison for the feature-by-feature breakdown.
LocaChange: The Budget Pick
$59.99 lifetime, the cheapest serious option. The feature set covers teleport, joystick, and routes, a step behind iAnyGo on cooldown precision. If you used Dr.Fone casually a few times a month, this is probably all you need.
GFaker Pro: No Computer At All
A different approach: an external Bluetooth GPS dongle that your iPhone treats as a legitimate peripheral GPS source. No desktop app, no cable, no subscription, $50-$120 once. Purpose-built for Pokemon GO players and the cleanest signal pattern of any method. The trade-off is carrying hardware.
If You Only Ever Faked Locations in Chat
A lot of Virtual Location owners were using a $10/month system spoofer for one thing: making the shared location in iMessage or WhatsApp show somewhere else. You never needed a system spoofer for that. The person on the other end only sees the map card you send, so a tool that generates a real Apple Maps card at any coordinates does the same job with no computer and no subscription.
Free Replacement for Chat Shares
Location Changer drops a pin anywhere on the world map and generates a real Apple Maps card with the address, coordinates and elevation. Share to iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram, Mail. Free.
What About the Licence You Already Paid For?
- Still on a monthly plan? Cancel the renewal now. You are paying for software that will never be fixed when it breaks.
- Bought lifetime? Keep using it until an iOS update kills it, but do not update iOS expecting a patch. When it breaks, it stays broken.
- Recently charged? Wondershare support does process refunds for recent charges in some cases, especially subscriptions renewed after the discontinuation announcement. Worth one email.
- Do not download "patched" or "unlocked" versions of Virtual Location from third-party sites. Abandoned-software installers are a classic malware channel.
The Pattern Worth Noticing
Dr.Fone Virtual Location is the second major tool in this category to disappear, after iSpoofer in 2022. The lesson is the same both times: these tools live in legal and technical grey zones, and lifetime licences die with the product. Treat anything in this space as rented. Pay monthly where you can, keep your expectations calibrated, and keep a free fallback for the use cases that never needed paid software in the first place.
FAQ
Is Dr.Fone Virtual Location completely dead?
It still runs for existing users, but Wondershare stopped updating it in August 2024. Each new iOS version is a coin flip on whether it keeps working, and no fixes are coming.
Why does my Dr.Fone Virtual Location say "device not supported"?
Your iOS version is newer than the last one the tool was built for. That is the discontinuation showing up in practice. The only fix is moving to a maintained tool.
Which alternative is most like Dr.Fone?
iAnyGo. Same USB approach, same feature set, plus a better cooldown timer, and it is actively maintained.
Is there a free alternative?
For system GPS spoofing, nothing free is both reliable and undetected. For sending fake locations in chat, Location Changer is free and does not touch system GPS at all.