Troubleshooting

Fix common locationjoystick problems. See Settings for spoofing and permission options.

App missing from the "Select mock location app" list

Symptom: The app does not appear when you try to select it as the mock location provider.

1. Open locationjoystick once. A freshly installed app never appears in the list.
2. Turn Developer Options off and back on, or restart the phone.
3. On MIUI, ColorOS, and other custom Android versions, grant "Allow restricted settings" below first.
4. Still missing: reinstall the app, then restart the phone.
5. If installed in a work profile: open Developer Options inside that profile. Android keeps the selection per profile.

Another app holds the mock location slot

Symptom: Spoofing does not work. Another app may be set as the location provider.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap System, then Developer options. On Samsung, Developer options sits at the bottom of the main Settings list.
3. Scroll to the Debugging group and tap Select mock location app.
4. Read which app is selected. Anything other than locationjoystick blocks it.
5. Tap locationjoystick in the list.
6. Return to locationjoystick and start spoofing again.

Notes: No Developer options entry? Open Settings → About phone and tap Build number seven times. If locationjoystick is missing from the list, see "App missing from the 'Select mock location app' list" above.

Mock location not detected

Symptom: During setup, the mock location check fails or shows an error.

1. Restart the phone after you change the Developer Options setting.
2. If spoofing already works, tap Skip next to the check during setup, then confirm the warning.
3. Use Skip only after you confirm spoofing works.

Allow restricted settings (Android 12+ installed from a file)

Symptom: You cannot grant the overlay permission. This affects Android 12+ when you install from a file instead of the Play Store.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Apps (sometimes "Application Manager").
3. Tap locationjoystick.
4. Tap the ⋮ menu, top-right.
5. Tap Allow restricted settings.
6. Return to locationjoystick and run setup again.

No ⋮ menu means your phone does not need this step.

Overlay permission resets on restart

Symptom: The joystick or widget disappears after restarting the phone.

• Known issue on MIUI and ColorOS.
• Grant the permission again after each restart, or allow locationjoystick in your phone's autostart settings.
• See Overlays to show the controls again.

App shows "GPS signal not detected" or asks for location again

Symptom: An app that uses spoofed location shows an error or permission prompt.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Apps, then tap the app that shows the error.
3. Tap Permissions, then Location.
4. Select Allow all the time.
5. Restart that app.

Allow only while using the app and Ask every time are not enough for these apps.

Spoofed location jumps back to your real location

Symptom: The location keeps reverting to your real position even when spoofing is on.

Another part of your phone keeps refreshing your real position, which overrides the spoof. Every step below is reversible. Do one step, then test:

1. Open Settings → Apps → Google Play Services → Storage and tap Clear cache. Then open the ⋮ menu and tap Uninstall updates.
2. On the same screen, open Permissions → Location and set Don't allow.
3. Open Settings → Location and set the mode to GPS only (sometimes "Device only") instead of High accuracy.
4. In the same menu, turn off Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning (often under "Improve Accuracy").
5. In your Google account settings, turn off Location History, Location Sharing, and Find My Device.
6. Confirm no other app holds the mock location slot — see the section above.

To get your real location back: Stop spoofing in locationjoystick, reverse the steps you changed, and restart the app you want to use.

A game shows a location or GPS error

Symptom: A game shows "Failed to detect location (12)", "location error 12", or similar red GPS error.

• The error comes from the game, not from locationjoystick.
• The game found the marker that every mock location app leaves on the reported position.
• locationjoystick cannot hide that marker and will not add a way to hide it.
• Players who bypass this check root the phone and use Smali Patcher or LSPosed. Read this community thread. Rooting carries its own risks and is outside locationjoystick support.

The map is a black screen

Symptom: The map shows nothing or only a blank black area.

1. Turn on Wi-Fi or mobile data. The map downloads street images the first time you open an area.
2. Leave the map screen and open it again.
3. If you have internet and the map is still black, install the latest GitHub APK. Swipe the app away from Recents and reopen it. Older versions could save blank map images; the new version clears them.

Updating the app

Symptom: How do I install a new version?

1. Open the new APK file.
2. Android asks "Replace app?" — your data stays.

Switching from the Play Store version

Symptom: I want to switch from Play Store to GitHub APK or vice versa.

1. Export your data: Settings → Export.
2. Uninstall the old version.
3. Install the new version.
4. Import your data.

How to report a crash with a log

Attach a log so the bug can be fixed. You need a computer with Android platform-tools and a USB cable for a real phone. An emulator needs no cable.

Turn on USB debugging

1. Open Settings → About phone and tap Build number seven times.
2. Open Settings → System → Developer options and turn on USB debugging.
3. Connect the phone to the computer. Tap Allow if prompted.

Capture the log

1. On the computer, run adb logcat -c to clear the old log.
2. Repeat the steps that crash the app.
3. Run adb logcat -d -b crash. The crash log prints on screen.
4. Copy the whole output. If empty, run adb logcat -d and copy the last 200 lines instead.

Send the report

1. Open the bug report form.
2. Paste the log into the Logcat output box.
3. Fill in your app version and Android version.
4. Say whether the main Map screen works on your device.