First, the honest part
Whether you can change your iClicker location at all depends on how your instructor set up attendance — and there are two completely different modes:
- GPS geofence mode: iClicker checks that your phone's GPS is inside a radius around the classroom (instructors can set roughly 100–500 feet). If your class uses this mode, a system-level location change on your iPhone can put you inside the geofence.
- Bluetooth mode: newer iClicker attendance can require Bluetooth proximity to a base station in the room. GPS tools cannot fake Bluetooth proximity. If your class uses this mode, no location changer will work.
First identify the attendance mode before selecting a tool. Most instructors who enable geolocation at all use GPS mode (some universities even recommend against turning it on, because student locations are often inaccurate) — but the mode should be confirmed before purchase.
- GPS mode uses a location boundary.
- Bluetooth-beacon mode requires proximity; GPS tools do not work in this mode.
- Record the school, attendance app and exact check-in prompt.
- Separate location-only requirements from Bluetooth proximity before evaluating a method.
How to tell which mode your class uses
- When you check in, does the app ask for Location permission only, or does it also demand Bluetooth be on? Bluetooth required = likely Bluetooth mode.
- Does check-in fail outdoors near the building, or only fail when you're far away? GPS mode fails by distance; Bluetooth mode fails unless you're physically near the room's beacon.
- Ask a classmate who's checked in from the hallway or a nearby building — if that worked, it's GPS mode with a radius.
If your class uses GPS mode: how it works
iClicker reads your iPhone's system GPS, the same signal every app reads. A system-level location changer sets your iPhone's reported position to the classroom (or anywhere inside the geofence). iClicker receives the reported position inside the room:
- Set the fake location to your classroom building before the session.
- Open iClicker and check in as usual — the geofence check passes.
- Leave the location set until the session ends (some classes take attendance more than once), then turn it off.
No jailbreak is needed for system-level change on current iOS. The same setup also handles Find My, Life360 and other location apps, since they all read the same system GPS.
FAQ
What about Top Hat attendance?
Top Hat's Secure Attendance combines location with Bluetooth proximity verification — your phone must be near the classroom's Bluetooth signal, not just reporting the right GPS coordinates. Based on how it's documented by universities that use it, GPS spoofing alone does not pass Secure Attendance. For Top Hat Secure Attendance, GPS location tools do not meet the Bluetooth requirement. (If your Top Hat course uses GPS-only checks without Secure Attendance, that requires a separate assessment using your course details.)
Risks, stated plainly
Faking attendance is treated by most schools as an honor-code violation, and iClicker keeps server-side records of check-in locations. Our technical service explains available methods and configures location tools. You remain responsible for any use in graded attendance. An incompatible Bluetooth-mode setup is identified before a purchase is proposed.
Can iClicker detect a fake location?
iClicker itself mainly records the GPS position your phone reports. Detection risk comes from patterns — checking in from two places at once, impossible travel between classes — not from a single in-range check-in. Bluetooth mode is the exception: it verifies physical proximity, which GPS can't fake.
My location is accurate but iClicker says I'm out of range. Why?
Possible causes include indoor GPS drift, a narrow radius set by the instructor, or stale location. iClicker's own help suggests toggling Location Services or restarting the app. If you are in the room and the failure persists, request support for the attendance error.
Does this work for Android too?
Android also has system-level and developer-option location tools, and the same GPS-vs-Bluetooth rule applies. Send your phone model for an assessment of the available options.