Pokemon Go Rooted Location Spoofing [Working Guide]

Follow this detailed step-by-step tutorial as it will help you spoof your location and control your character using a joystick on Pokemon Go with root on compatible Android phone and tablet devices.

Location spoofing in Pokemon GO on rooted Android phones is usually difficult to achieve because the process of gaining root access is different for every Android device. Also, the rooting process depends a lot on the manufacturer and model number of the phone you are using.

Moreover, once rooted, it becomes impossible to log in to the Pokemon GO game due to the security checks and the game will only let you log in if you unroot your device. But we have a solution that helps you keep your Android phone rooted and continue to play Pokemon GO as well as spoof locations in the game.

Anyways, I have created a whole section on rooting Android devices so I won’t be talking much about that here in the intro. But just to give you a hint, this location spoofing method requires you to have system-less root access on your Android device, which let you hide root from Pokemon GO.

In case you don’t already have root access and want to spoof without rooting your Android device then we already have a step-by-step tutorial for the same here. You might be interested in checking that out first. However, if you are already rooted or in case that method does not work on your Android device, then you can always follow this rooted spoofing guide.

Step 1 – Gain Systemless Root Access on your Android device

Did you read the heading properly? It says, system-less root. Depending on your experience with the Android rooting, you may or may not have heard about systemless rooting. Don’t worry as here we are going to explain to you what it is and how it works.

But first, a word of warning. You must need to stay away from all those one-click rooting methods like KingoRoot, FramaRoot, and KingRoot as using those apps to gain root access might break your Android device or make it completely unusable. You have been warned.

What is the system-less Android root and how it actually works?

Initially, only a simple and normal rooting procedure was known that let user gives administrative system permissions to different apps to perform advanced tasks. And this was achieved by modifying the files in the Android /system partition.

But things within the Android root world were changed after the release of Android 6.0 Marshmallow because Google added some advanced security layers, which made it impossible for the “su” –superuser command– to be executed during the boot with the required permissions by modifying the “/system” partition without breaking the operating system.

So, alternatively, a modified boot image (also known as bootloader) is used which leaves the original files in /system partition intact and executes the su command separately from the system. This not only allows gaining root access on newer Android versions possible but it is also much better and more reliable than the regular rooting method where files were added or modified in the /system directory.

The second most important aspect and most beneficial aspect of systemless rooting for Pokemon GO users are that this root method keeps your device’s software in its original state. This means it will not break SafetyNet and you can log in and continue to play the game or use various banking apps without any issue because it let you bypass SafetyNet and completely hide the root from other apps.

How to install system-less root on your Android smartphone or tablet device?

Now that you are aware of the new rooting method, we will give you a glimpse into how to gain systemless root on your Android device.

There are two well-known methods to gain systemless root on Android smartphones and tablet devices:

• Magisk, and
• iSU.

But to be able to install system-less root, you need to have a custom recovery installed on your Android device, and then you will be able to flash Magisk or iSU and gain root access. But wait, before flashing any of those files, you first need to have an unlocked bootloader on your device. And unlocking the bootloader or flashing a custom recovery is not as easy as it sounds. And each device has its unique way of unlocking and flashing recovery, which I won’t be able to cover, as you already know that there are hundreds and thousands of Android devices.

The best option is to find out the exact make and model number of the Android device you are using by going to Settings and then to the About Device section of your device. There you will be able to find all the information required to begin the research for the rooting process of your Android smartphone.

Once you have found the make and model number, head over to the XDA Developers forum and use the search bar. See the following example search term for Samsung Galaxy S7 model SM-G935F:

• Example search term: How to systemless root Galaxy S7 SM-G935F.

There you are going to find dedicated sub-forums for your exact model along with a proper tutorial to gain system-less root. Moreover, there will be developers as well as other users to help you out in case you hit the bump.

If you already have system-less root access on your device, then please feel free to move on to the next step.

Step 2 – Options to Spoof in Pokemon GO

Once you have managed to gain system-less root access on your Android device, now it unlocks various possibilities of spoofing in Pokemon GO and hacking the game without being banned. Yes, you read that right. We have different working methods to help you spoof in Pokemon GO and catch all the Pokemon without wandering around your neighborhood.

Not only that, our rooted spoofing method will even let you visit virtually any part of the world and catch every one of the Pokemon, all without getting banned.

Without any further ado, let’s reveal the methods to spoof Pokemon GO on rooted Android smartphones and tablet devices.

• Method 1 – Pokemon GO Spoofing using GPS JoyStick app,
• Method 2 – Spoof in Pokemon GO using the FGL Pro app.

But before we jump into the methods to spoof in Pokemon GO with system-less root, here are a couple of prerequisite apps that you must need to install first as they will be required in further steps:

1. Link2SD – This app will be used to move the location spoofing app to the Android /system directory.
2. SafetyNet Attest Helper – This app will help you know if the Pokemon GO game will able to find whether your Android device is rooted or not.

Once these two apps are installed you can then proceed to follow either Method 1 or Method 2, depending on the app you have planned to install. I will recommend you completely read both methods first, then choose the one that you are most comfortable with, and then start attempting to perform those steps on your Android device.

Method 1 – Pokemon GO spoofing using GPS JoyStick

In this method, we are going to use the popular and widely known GPS JoyStick app by The App Ninjas to spoof our location in Pokemon GO while having a rooted Android device.

1. Download and install GPS JoyStick on your Android device from here.
2. Launch the GPS JoyStick app, and under the Quick Options, you will find the Privacy Mode option, tap on it. A popup prompt box will appear asking you if you want to generate a new copy. Tap Generate.
3. You will see a box where you can enter a new app name for this GPS JoyStick app, which will be completely unique. You can enter whatever name you feel comfortable with; we are using “PoGo Spoofing”. Once filled, tap Start.
4. The process of generating a new app with your provided name will begin. And it will be completed within two minutes. When the app with your provided name has been generated, the Android app installation screen will automatically appear. Simply tap Install to begin the installation.
5. Once the app has been installed, you will now need to uninstall the original GPS JoyStick app from your device. To do that, go to Android Settings then tap on Apps. Scroll down until you find GPS JoyStick and tap on it. Tap Uninstall to remove the app.
6. Now launch the Link2SD app. On its first launch, you will get a request to allow root access. Tap on Allow. A list of all the apps will be visible now. Find the app with the name you entered while generating the location spoofing app and tap on it. I used “PoGo Spoofing” so I will look for the same.
7. Tap the menu button located at the top right corner. Then tap Convert to the system app. A prompt confirmation window will appear, tap OK to start converting the app.
8. Once the app has been converted to a system app, you need to restart your Android device for the changes to take effect.
   
9. After restarting, launch the “PoGo Spoofing” app. And tap the menu button located at the top-left corner, and then tap Settings.
10. Scroll down and enable the four options that are highlighted in the screenshot below:
    
    • Enable indirect mocking,
    • Enable system mode,
    • Disable location service (enabling/disabling this will require device restart),
    • Enable A-GPS reset.

11. Now, the next step is to use the system-less root function to deactivate or disable the SU/SuperUser root state. The option to enable/disable the SU state may be different depending on the system-less root method you opted for while gaining root access. For me, I used the iSU system-less root method, and I can simply go to the iSU’s Controls tab and tap on the Change SU state to deactivate the root on my Android device as shown in the screenshot.
12. To verify if Pokemon GO will be able to see if we have root access on our Android device, we will use the SafetyNet Attest Helper app. Simply open the app and tap on the Run SafetyNet Test button.
13. If the SafetyNet Attest shows a CTS profile match and Basic integrity as True, then it means you have properly disabled root access and will be able to log into the Pokemon GO game. However, in case the result shows a CTS profile match and Basic integrity as False then it means you are unable to hide root and you will not be able to log in to the Pokemon GO game.
    Please try to disable root again and then try to run the SafetyNet test again.
    Your device must need to pass the SafetyNet test to proceed further.
14. Go to Settings and tap on Location. Turn on location and make sure the location mode is set to Device only.
15. Open the PoGo Spoofing app, tap on the Set Location radio tab, and then tap Click here to open the map button, as shown in the screenshot.
    
16. Using the map, either manually navigate to the location or use the search bar to find the location where you want to spoof. Once finalized, tap the Select this location button. Then a confirmation popup will appear, tap Select.
17. Now, to begin spoofing and open the on-screen joystick, tap on Start.
18. To try how well the joystick is actually working, I will recommend you take the first trial on Google Maps. You can use the joystick to move the blue dot in any direction you want. Once you are satisfied with the joystick controls, you can then launch Pokemon GO and start spoofing.

You can see in the screenshots below how well this method is working for me in Pokemon GO.

Method 2 – Spoof in Pokemon GO using FGL Pro

In this second method, we are going to use the new location spoofing app FGL Pro. It is developed by LTP PRO LLC and works flawlessly with Pokemon GO on rooted Android devices, and this app is easier to configure too.

1. Download and install FGL Pro on your Android device from here.
2. Launch the Link2SD app. On its first launch, you will get a request to allow root access. Tap on Allow. A list of all the apps will be visible now, in the list find FGL Pro and tap it.
3. Tap the menu button located at the top right corner. Then tap Convert to the system app. A confirmation prompt window will appear, tap OK to start converting the app.
4. Once the app has been converted to a system app, you need to restart your Android device for the changes to take effect.
   
5. After restart, use the system-less root function to deactivate or disable SU/SuperUser root state. The option to enable/disable the SU state may be different depending on the system-less root method you opted for while gaining root access. For me, I used the iSU system-less root method, and I can simply go to the iSU’s Controls tab and tap on the Change SU state to deactivate the root on my Android device as shown in the screenshot.
6. To verify if Pokemon GO will be able to see if we have root access on our Android device, we will use the SafetyNet Attest Helper app. Simply open the app and tap on the Run SafetyNet Test button.
7. If the SafetyNet Attest shows a CTS profile match and Basic integrity as True, then it means you have properly disabled root access and will be able to log into the Pokemon GO game. However, in case the result shows a CTS profile match and Basic integrity as False then it means you are unable to hide root and you will not be able to log in to the Pokemon GO game.
   Please try to disable root again and then try to run the SafetyNet test again.
   Your device must need to pass the SafetyNet test to proceed further.
8. Go to Settings and tap on Location. Turn on location and make sure the location mode is set to Device only.
9. Now, the next step is to launch the FGL Pro app. A popup will appear asking you for access to your device location, tap Allow. Then a popup for the mock location will appear, tap Cancel. And then a warning to set the location to high accuracy mode will appear, tap Cancel on that too.
10. Then tap on Continue to proceed further. Once you see the home screen of FGL Pro, tap the Settings button located at the top-right corner.
11. Disable the Secure Mocking option and enable the Root Mode option, as shown in the screenshots below. Once done, go back to the main screen of the FLG Pro app.
    
12. Using the provided map, manually navigate to the location or use the search button to find the location where you want to spoof. Once finalized, tap the Play button to start location spoofing and launch the joystick. You will see the mock location started successfully toast message.
13. For initial tests, I will recommend you use the joystick on Google Maps. You can use the joystick to move the blue dot in any direction you want. Once you are satisfied with the joystick controls, you can then launch Pokemon GO and start spoofing.

See how well the FGL Pro app is working for me in Pokemon GO in the screenshots attached below.