Telepin

Telepin for Windows

Run Telepin-Setup-0.5.0-x64.exe to install Telepin for your Windows account. The installer includes the app and its iPhone connection engine; you do not need Python or Node. This build is unsigned. Windows may show an unknown-publisher notice. Installing over 0.3.0 preserves saved places.

Connect your iPhone

  1. Install/open Apple Devices so Windows has Apple's USB support.
  2. Connect the iPhone by USB, unlock it, and accept Trust This Computer. Check that Apple Devices can see it.
  3. Enable Settings → Privacy & Security → Developer Mode, following the iPhone's restart and confirmation prompts. Apple's setup instructions explain development setup if this option is missing.
  4. In Telepin, choose Connect iPhone, select your phone, and connect. The first connection can download developer support files and take several minutes. Keep the phone unlocked.

Connect over Wi-Fi

To go wireless on iOS 17.4 or later, first connect by USB in Telepin. Open the connected iPhone's device card, restore real GPS if needed, and select Set up Wi-Fi. After setup succeeds, choose Disconnect iPhone, unplug the cable, then choose Wi-Fi and Refresh. Keep the unlocked iPhone and this computer on the same reachable local network. Select the paired phone and Connect over Wi-Fi. The app checks the phone's identity and version when connecting; it never silently switches back to USB.

Wi-Fi discovery needs local-network access. Guest-network isolation, a VPN, or a firewall can prevent devices from communicating. A dropped connection stops movement when detected and preserves the reset warning. Use Reconnect & restore, or connect the same phone by cable and choose USB cable in Connection recovery. Physical wireless movement and reset still require testing on your iPhone.

Pick a place

Search for a place or address, click the map, drag the pin, or enter decimal latitude and longitude. The initial New York map is a sample area, not your detected location. Selecting a pin or saving a place does not change your phone.

Press Set iPhone location to send the selected coordinates. Confirm the result in Apple Maps on the phone. Keep Telepin open and its selected USB or Wi-Fi connection available. Saved places remain available between launches; recently sent locations appear in Recent.

Press Restore real GPS when finished, then verify your location in Maps. Telepin also attempts a reset before disconnecting or closing. If the cable was removed or the connection stopped, reconnect it and use Reconnect & restore. An unsuccessful reset remains visible; the app does not treat an uncertain result as success. If recovery still fails, restart the iPhone and check Maps.

Follow a route

Choose Route, then add two or more stops with the map, search, or coordinates. Drag or reorder the stops as needed. Choose straight segments or road following with a walking, cycling, or driving profile, then press Preview route. Set the speed and number of passes before starting. Two backtrack passes make a return trip. Preview an edited route again before starting, saving, or exporting it.

Open Routes & GPX to import a GPX file, choose one of its tracks, export the current route, or save it locally. Jump visits stops at a chosen interval. Joystick starts at your selected point and lets you steer with the direction pad or arrow/WASD keys; continuous movement is an explicit option.

Pause, Stop, and completed playback hold the last location sent to the phone. Restore real GPS removes the override. Verify route movement and restoration in Maps on the connected iPhone.

Compatibility and data

This build targets Windows x64 and the modern iPhone developer connection used on iOS 17.4 and later. iOS 26.7 has not been verified on a physical phone in this workspace. Acceptance of simulated location by individual apps can vary. Movement features cover a single connected iPhone; see MOVEMENT-PARITY.md for the release scope.

The app uses Esri map tiles, with OpenStreetMap tiles as a fallback, and Photon place search. Viewing a map sends tile requests for the visible area to those providers. Submitting a search sends that query to Photon; coordinate pairs are handled locally. Planning a road route sends the selected stops and travel mode to the public Valhalla/FOSSGIS routing service. These public services need internet and can impose usage limits. Attribution remains visible in the interface. Straight-line routes and imported GPX geometry can play without a routing request. There is no account or analytics service in Telepin.

Favorites, recent locations, saved routes, and an unfinished-session recovery marker are stored locally in %APPDATA%\Telepin\places.json. Uninstalling preserves these settings. The phone connection library also keeps local pairing records and developer-image caches. A recovery marker means a reset still needs confirmation; it is not proof of a currently active override.

Telepin is independent software with its own interface and branding. It contains no iAnyGo code or assets. License details are available from Help; corresponding application source and build instructions accompany the installer in Telepin-Desktop-Source-0.5.0.zip.

Build from source

On Windows x64, install Python 3.13 and Node.js. From the project root, run:

py -3.13 -m venv .venv313
.venv313\Scripts\python.exe scripts\build_windows_deps.py --install-project
.venv313\Scripts\python.exe -B -m unittest discover -s tests -v
.venv313\Scripts\python.exe build_engine.py
cd desktop
npm ci
npm test
npm run test:desktop
npm run dist

The dependency helper builds lzfse 0.4.2 from its verified upstream source for Python 3.13, using a portable Zig compiler installed only in .venv313. It then installs the project requirements and PyInstaller 6.22.3, checks compression, and checks dependency compatibility. The first run needs internet and downloads the compiler. No system compiler installation is required. The source build is necessary because that dependency has no published Windows CPython 3.13 wheel; a plain pip install -r requirements.txt would otherwise require a compiler.

The installer is written to releases\desktop. The build uses electron-builder's static NSIS reader to assemble the uninstaller without executing an intermediate program. This does not change Windows security policy; the unsigned final installer and app remain subject to Application Control. Use npm ci with the supplied lockfile, since this build adapter uses electron-builder's internal reader.

The unpacked app is in releases\desktop\win-unpacked. Running Telepin.exe --smoke-test checks the rendered map interface, isolated desktop bridge, bundled engine, and developer-setup worker without connecting to or changing a phone. Live verification requires connecting your iPhone, setting a chosen location, checking Maps, restoring real GPS, and checking Maps again.