Quick reference
| Symptom | Likely cause | Safe next step |
|---|---|---|
| No iPhone detected | Power-only cable, USB hub, locked device, or transient USB discovery. | Unlock, reconnect directly with a data cable, wait a few seconds, then choose Check again. |
| Trust required | The Mac has not been authorized by this iPhone. | Accept Trust and enter the passcode on the iPhone. Do not attempt to bypass the prompt. |
| Developer Mode off | iOS has not enabled developer services. | Use Settings → Privacy & Security → Developer Mode and complete the on-device restart flow. |
| Developer image missing | The matching support image is not present locally. | Use PinShift's preparation action with internet access, then review technical detail if it still fails. |
| Tunnel unavailable | The selected iOS version needs a tunnel strategy that is not ready. | Follow the exact PinShift guidance. Some older iOS 17 versions can require a separately started privileged service. |
| Map or search unavailable | A map, geocoding, or network provider is offline or blocked. | Enter coordinates manually; retry the provider later. |
| Street route failed | Valhalla returned no usable route or the request failed. | Adjust stops, confirm connectivity, and calculate again. PinShift does not replace it with a misleading line through buildings. |
| Restore failed | The authorized service disconnected, device locked, or clear command could not be confirmed. | Keep the state potentially active, reconnect and unlock, then retry Stop and restore real location. |
No iPhone is detected
- Use a USB cable that supports data.
- Connect directly to the Mac instead of through an unreliable hub or display.
- Unlock the iPhone and keep its Home Screen visible.
- Disconnect, wait five seconds, reconnect, and choose Check again.
- Confirm Finder can see the iPhone. If Finder cannot see it, resolve the USB or Apple-device issue before retrying PinShift.
Trust or pairing is blocked
Trust is an Apple security boundary. Accept the prompt on the iPhone and enter its passcode there. PinShift cannot approve Trust, recover a passcode, access Activation Lock, or override MDM.
If the device belongs to an organization, stop and ask the device owner or administrator. Do not remove a management profile or change policy to make PinShift work.
Developer Mode is unavailable
Developer Mode can require a restart and on-device confirmation. If the setting does not appear or is disabled, check the iOS version and organization policy. PinShift intentionally has no workaround for a missing or restricted setting.
Map, address search, or route calculation fails
PinShift keeps manual coordinates available when online services fail. Map tiles and search providers are independent of the USB simulation service, so a provider failure does not mean the iPhone connection failed.
- Use latitude and longitude directly for Fixed, Precision, or Micro Route tests.
- For Pro Route, confirm every stop is selected and not identical.
- Retry street calculation only after the network provider recovers.
- Keep the visible map and route attribution in any product capture.
Stop and restore real location fails
- Reconnect the same authorized iPhone by USB.
- Unlock it and restore Trust if iOS asks.
- Open PinShift. Recovery should keep the restore action available without storing the full identifier or coordinate.
- Choose Stop and restore real location again.
- If the app cannot recover, use the bundled
pinshift-resetutility only when exactly one authorized iPhone is connected. It attempts the same constrained clear operation; it is not a general shell.
macOS blocks the installer or app
Return to the download status page. Do not disable Gatekeeper or paste a quarantine-removal command. A public release is required to be Developer ID signed, notarized, stapled, and checksum-published. If those gates are not green, there is no supported public installer yet.
Share diagnostics safely
Use PinShift's built-in redacted technical detail. Review the text before sharing it. Do not post full UDIDs, pairing records, personal file paths, Apple credentials, screenshots from a real device, or private map history.
If the problem persists, visit Support for the currently available support path.