How to use a VPN to fake your GPS location

Keep in mind that these apps often rely on in-app advertising, which may not be desirable for some users. We do not endorse or recommend any specific GPS spoofing apps from the list above. For this reason, we recommend that you do your own research and only use reputable apps that you trust.

How to use a VPN to change your GPS Location

Want to access region-locked services? Need an IP address in a specific country? We explain how to fake your GPS location to access websites and services that are usually blocked.

While a VPN makes it easy to spoof your IP address, it doesn’t always work to update your GPS location. The Global Positioning System (GPS) uses coordinates based on your actual location, gathered by using data from cell phone masts and satellite signals. This GPS coordinate can give away your real location, contradicting the IP address provided by your VPN, in turn giving online websites and services a way to determine your actual location.

Unfortunately, there are a few different ways that websites can detect your location besides your IP address. To help you out we have listed them all below:

• GPS coordinates: Websites can determine your actual location by accessing the GPS coordinates obtained from your device. Most smartphones and tablets have GPS built in, meaning this data could betray your actual location.
• Browser Geolocation: Modern browsers have built-in geolocation features that websites can leverage to detect your location.
• HTML5 Geolocation API: Websites can leverage Google’s popular HTML5 Geolocation API to access data from various sources, including WiFi networks and cell towers. This allows websites to locate devices that don’t have any native geolocation features.
• DNS leaks: DNS leaks can reveal your actual location to websites, even if you are using a VPN. The same is true of WebRTC leaks. Unfortunately, many VPNs fail to proxy DNS requests inside of the encrypted VPN tunnel. This causes DNS queries to be resolved by a default server, which can allow websites to detect your physical location based on the location of the resolver.
• WiFi network names: Websites can analyze the SSID of the WiFi networks you use and use databases of known WiFi networks to approximate your location.

Once you’re aware of these alternate tracking methods, you can take appropriate measures that enhance your privacy and ensure that your VPN effectively masks your physical location.

The important thing to remember is that some apps require GPS to be enabled before allowing you to access their content. Other apps and web services require GPS, IP address, geolocation, and DNS traffic to match a single location.

The good news is that we will explain how to combine a VPN with other tools to successfully fake your GPS data and gain access to services remotely.

VPN apps with location spoofing

The simplest solution to this problem is to subscribe to a VPN service that offers GPS location spoofing extensions as part of their package.

Many popular VPN providers offer browser extensions specifically designed to prevent browser-based WebRTC leaks, which can reveal your true location. However, a few reputable VPN brands take it a step further by spoofing your geolocation in addition to the standard IP address spoofing we have all come to love and expect. Here are the best options:

Surfshark VPN

Surfshark is a highly popular VPN that is well known for providing fast speeds, servers in 100+ countries, apps for all devices, and a solid no-logging policy. It is surprisingly cheap considering the level of service it provides. And it allows you to use the VPN on unlimited devices, which means you can share your account with friends and family!

Besides all these awesome advantages, Surfshark also provides users with an Android app that includes a native GPS override feature.

This allows you to set a GPS location that matches the IP address of the VPN server you use. This makes it easy to override device-level GPS which is messing with your VPN’s ability to access some services.

The only caveat is that you have to follow the on-screen instructions to enable developer options if you want to use this feature. The good news is that this is actually much easier than you might think. All you need to do is open your Android settings, head to About Phone > Software information and then tap on Build number seven times.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is well-known for providing secure AES encryption, a kill switch, obfuscated OpenVPN connections, DNS leak protection, and speedy servers in 94+ countries.

To help users further, it also includes a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi that successfully works to spoof your HTML5 geolocation. This makes ExpressVPN effective at spoofing your location when using websites and services in a web browser. However, it does not spoof your GPS location on mobile.

Location spoofing is enabled by default when you install the ExpressVPN app. You can switch this off manually in the extension if you want to. When location spoofing is enabled, websites that leverage HTML5 geolocation will detect the same location as that of your VPN server.

Do any other VPNs provide location spoofing?

Unfortunately, this is a relatively rare feature that most VPNs don’t provide. As a result, you will need to use the methods described below to fake your GPS location successfully when using the majority of VPNs.

It is important to note that, while some VPNs offer location spoofing features, they may be limited to certain devices. For example, Surfshark’s location spoofing feature is available on Android devices, while ExpressVPN’s feature is compatible with desktop computers. Therefore, it is possible that you may need to use the methods outlined below to protect against GPS tracking on different platforms.

How to fake your GPS location

Below, we have described various methods that you can use to fake your GPS location and get your VPN working with stubborn services. These methods will all help your VPN to work better and allow you to use services that monitor your GPS data in addition to your IP address.

GPS Spoofing Apps

Various GPS spoofing apps allow you to set up mock GPS locations. These apps are available for both Android and iOS and can be downloaded from the usual Google Play and Apple App Store. Below, we have included a few examples of the types of location-faking apps that are available in those app stores:

• Fake GPS Location Professional (Android)
• Fake GPS location (Android)
• GPS Emulator (Android)
• Fake GPS 2023 (Android)
• Tenorshare iAnyGo (iOS, Android, Mac, Windows)
• iSpoofer (iOS)
• iTools (iOS)

Keep in mind that these apps often rely on in-app advertising, which may not be desirable for some users. We do not endorse or recommend any specific GPS spoofing apps from the list above. For this reason, we recommend that you do your own research and only use reputable apps that you trust.

It’s important to note that although these apps can help to spoof your GPS location, they aren’t completely foolproof and will not always work to fool the apps and applications you use. Some apps are excellent at monitoring your device settings to detect the use of mock locations. If these apps detect that you are attempting to falsify your location, the app may deny access.

Below, we have included a list of apps that are known for blocking users based on GPS information:

1. Tinder: The popular dating app Tinder uses location-based matching to connect users. It has mechanisms in place to verify and validate user locations, ensuring authenticity and preventing fake GPS usage.
2. Major League Baseball: The official MLB app is well known for requiring your IP address to match your GPS location and it is highly effective at detecting the use of mock GPS addresses.
3. Uber/Lyft: Ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft require accurate location data to provide their service. As a result, these apps use various methods to detect and prevent GPS spoofing.
4. Banking apps: Many banking apps have location-based security features to protect users against fraud. These apps often use GPS data to confirm that users are accessing their accounts from authorized locations and use advanced methods to monitor device settings that enable location mocking.
5. Geocaching apps: Geocaching apps like Geocaching.com and C:Geo rely on real GPS coordinates for treasure-hunting activities. These apps know that GPS spoofing undermines the integrity of the game and work hard to block users who employ GPS spoofing apps.
6. Location-based AR games: Augmented Reality (AR) games like Pokemon Go, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, and Jurassic World Alive leverage GPS data for gameplay. These games are highly effective at detecting GPS spoofing.

How to enable GPS spoofing on Android

If you want to use GPS spoofing apps like the ones listed above, you’ll need to enable developer settings on your smartphone or tablet. This is because these kinds of apps cannot set mock locations unless you give them permission to do so in your Android device’s settings.

To help you out, we have described the steps needed to enable Android developer settings below:

1. Open your Android Settings menu (cog icon)
2. Scroll down to About phone or About tablet depending on your device
3. Select Software information
4. Tap Build number seven times (it will warn you that you are about to enable developer settings)
5. Go back to Settings. Click System > Advanced > Developer options
6. Tap Select mock location app and set it to the GPS spoofing app that you opted for on Google Play

At this stage, you are ready to run your GPS spoofing app. Once it has launched, select the desired mock location you require. Once it connects to that location, you can check that it worked by opening Google Maps.

With valid GPS coordinates in the country or city you require, you can now launch your VPN and connect to a server in the same location. This will sync both location identifiers, allowing you to use online services that require them to match.

If you have any problems changing your GPS settings or are having issues using your VPN with your GPS location spoofing app, you may want to root your Android device. Rooting allows you to utilize mock locations without the need to declare it in your phone settings, offering a more stealthy approach and potentially improving your chances of success.

With that said, we urge you to remember that rooting an Android device can increase your exposure to malware, trojans, and cyberattacks. This can put your personal data at risk and increase the chance of being victimized by identity theft or fraud. For this reason, it is essential that you only proceed if you completely understand the potential ramifications.

GPS spoofing on iOS

Unfortunately, it is not possible to install a GPS spoofing app directly from the Apple App Store. This is because GPS spoofing apps for iOS do not work. As a result, you will need to jailbreak your iOS device and install an app called Protect My Privacy. This is a mobile package manager for jailbroken iPhones that lets you change your location using a map for privacy purposes.

A safer alternative is to install a GPS spoofing app on a desktop computer and then connect your iOS device to that computer via USB. iTools is a popular tool that enables GPS spoofing on an iPhone or iPad using this technique. Desktop-based solutions work by allowing you to pick a mock location in the desktop app, and then send that location to your iOS device via the USB cable.

No matter which option you decide to use, once the mock location has been correctly set, you are ready to connect to a VPN server in the same location. This will ensure that your GPS and IP address match.

How to set up geolocation spoofing in Google Chrome

If you are having trouble using your VPN because your HTML5 geolocation doesn’t match your IP address, you will be happy to know that Chrome lets you set up a fake location using developer tools. This is perfect if you are using a streaming service or some other website that uses both IP address and HTML5 geolocation to track your location.

You can set up a fake geolocation in Chrome by following the following steps:

1. Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots to open the menu bar.
2. Select More Tools >Developer Tools.
3. In the developer window, access More Tools by clicking the three vertical dots next to Console. You can find this toward the bottom left of the window pane:

4. Select Sensors from the More Tools menu. A new tab will open:

5. Choose the location you desire next to Location. Only a few locations are available, so you will need to set up a new location using GPS coordinates if the location you desire isn’t listed. To do this click Manage.

6. If you prefer to hide your location rather than enter a specific location, you can opt for Error Location unavailable in the drop-down menu:

Once you have successfully chosen a location, set up a location entry manually, or opted for Location unavailable, you are ready to connect to your VPN. Your Chrome browser should now work to use services that require your HTML5 geolocation to match your IP address.

How to prevent DNS leaks when using a VPN

Unfortunately, there is very little that you can do to prevent a VPN from leaking your DNS. This is because the VPN that is causing the leak through a failure to include your DNS queries inside the encrypted VPN tunnel. Thus, if you are using a VPN that leaks your DNS, the best solution is to ask for a refund and opt for an alternate service that works properly.

That said, there are some instances when a VPN app may allow you to turn on DNS leak protection inside of the app. This is a feature that is designed to stop DNS requests from leaking outside of the VPN tunnel. If your VPN has a DNS leak protection tool that you can turn on in its settings menu, this is a good place to start.

You can check whether your VPN is causing DNS leaks by heading over to Browserleaks.com and clicking Run DNS Leak Test. If the VPN is working properly, you should not be able to see an address that belongs to your ISP. Instead, you should see an address in the location of the VPN server.

If you want to use a reliable VPN that does not suffer from DNS leaks, we recommend that you opt for a secure VPN with a reliable VPN tunnel, secure tunneling protocols such as OpenVPN and WireGuard, and reliable DNS leak protection. You can see our recommendations below:

1. NordVPN: The best VPN to change your location. Many useful advanced features. No logs policy and strong encryption, with servers in 59+ countries. Double VPN and obfuscation. Works with popular streaming services. Risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.
2. Surfshark: Best cheap VPN to change your location. Excellent value for money, Apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux. Android app includes a GPS override tool. Strong encryption. Works with popular streaming services like Netflix.
3. ExpressVPN: Highly reliable and secure. Strong AES encryption, system-level kill switch, and reliable DNS leak protection. Servers in 94+ countries. Browser extensions can spoof your HTML5 geolocation.
4. CyberGhost: Superb for beginners. Reliable DNS leak protection. Easy to use to spoof your location to 89+ countries. Has strong encryption, a kill switch, and ad and tracker blocking. Works with Netflix, Hulu, and more.
5. ProtonVPN: A highly advanced VPN with many privacy and security features. Strong encryption, kill switch, strong DNS leak protection, zero logs policy, obfuscation, port selection, auto-connect, and more. Port forwarding and split tunneling make it perfect for torrenting.
6. PrivateVPN: Strong data policies and reliable security features. PrivateVPN offers solid DNS leak protection and superb value for money. Has apps for all devices with strong AES encryption. Servers in 63+ countries. Not the fastest, but works to watch a dozen Netflix regions.
7. Atlas VPN: A fast VPN that is excellent for watching streaming services. Solid DNS leak protection. Fast WireGuard protocol is great for gaming, streaming, and torrenting. Servers are available in 44+ countries.

All the best VPNs recommended above offer reliable DNS leak protection and securely route your DNS requests to their own servers. This is the most secure way for a VPN to handle your DNS queries.

Fake your GPS location – FAQs

Is it legal to fake your GPS location abroad?

Yes. It is legal to change your GPS location and IP address as long as you are not doing it to conceal online harm and cybercrime. Thus, it is not the act of changing your GPS location, but rather what you do while spoofing that may be criminal. You should never send spam, harass people, engage in cyberstalking, or carry out any other criminal activities online.

That said, it is important to remember that changing your location information to access streaming services, bookies, game servers, and other online platforms may be against the Terms of Service for that particular platform. We recommend that you check the terms for the services you use to understand the legitimacy of using a VPN or GPS spoofing apps.

Please be aware that in most countries, attempting to use GPS spoofing to appear to be someone else without their knowledge or consent is illegal. It is essential to familiarize yourself with the laws and regulations of your own country. For this reason, we strongly advise conducting your own research to ensure compliance. This article does not constitute legal advice and should not be taken as such.

Can I use a free VPN while changing my GPS location?

Although there are some free VPNs available on the market, we strongly advise against using the majority of them. Most free VPNs have dodgy privacy policies that allow them to share user data with third parties to create a revenue stream. They use this data to profile users and sell that information to data brokers, marketing companies, and anybody else that is willing to pay.

In addition, many free VPNs have been found to suffer from leaks, have app and server vulnerabilities, lack encryption, and even conceal spyware in their apps. This makes using most of the free VPNs you can find on app stores a huge threat to the safety of your devices.

It is true that a few legitimate and reliable VPNs have a limited free plan. We have recommended two VPNs on this page that let you try their service without paying anything. However, they only provide access to servers in a few locations, so they are not as useful as a premium VPN for spoofing your location.

Despite this, the free plans we have recommended allow you to use a couple of servers without paying a dime. This is useful in times of crisis, such as when governments block social media during protests, and citizens cannot communicate with loved ones unless they use a VPN.

Bear in mind that free servers are usually much slower than the premium servers, and you are usually limited in how much data you can download each month. The free plan also doesn’t work to access Netflix or other streaming services, so you will need to pay for an account if you want to stream.

Did you know

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How to use a VPN to fake your GPS location

A VPN can change your IP address, but does your GPS location match? We’ll show you how to fake your GPS location with a VPN and other free tools to ensure you’re in control of your virtual location.

Paul Bischoff TECH WRITER, PRIVACY ADVOCATE AND VPN EXPERT
@pabischoff UPDATED: July 11, 2023

VPNs are often used to spoof the user’s location and access region-locked content and services. They do this by routing the device’s VPN connection through an intermediary server in a remote location. This swaps out your real IP address and allows you to gain access to normally restricted content. However, since GPS is built into most smartphones these days, a VPN alone isn’t enough.

Even while connected to a VPN, apps, and websites can determine your geographical location using a variety of methods, including GPS. Some apps even require you to enable your GPS before they’ll allow access to content, so turning it off won’t help. Other apps and websites require your GPS, IP address, geolocation, and DNS traffic to all match up with the same location.

In this article, we’ll list the factors you need to consider and discuss how to fake your location by combining a VPN with other tools.

How websites can determine your location

There are a variety of ways that websites can track and determine your geographical location. Including:

• IP address – IP addresses are unique sequences of numbers and decimals that identify every device on the internet. An IP address can be used to approximate a device’s location. VPNs change your perceived geographical location by swapping out your real IP address with that of the VPN server in the location of your choosing.
• GPS – Built into most smartphones these days, a GPS determines your location using satellite signals. A VPN on its own won’t change your GPS location.
• HTML5 Geolocation – Websites can obtain your location through a combination of GPS, nearby cell towers, and Wi-Fi networks. Google offers the most popular HTML5 geolocation API. Again, a VPN alone won’t hide you.
• DNS traffic – Requests for websites and other content are made through the Domain Name System or DNS. Many VPNs fail to route DNS requests, which means they go to a default local nameserver that can, in turn, reveal your real IP address and location. In VPN terms, this is known as a DNS leak.

Read on to find the tools to deal with each of these issues.

How to use a VPN to hide your IP address

First things first, using a VPN to hide your IP address and fake your location is simple. Just follow the steps below:

Here’s how to fake your location with a VPN:

1. First, sign up with a VPN provider – we recommend NordVPN. However, Surfshark and ExpressVPN are two strong alternatives.
2. Next, download and install the appropriate VPN app for your device.
3. Open your VPN app (or browser extension) and connect to a server in the country of your choice. For example, you’d use a server in the US to gain a US IP address and access US content.
4. You now have a new IP address which makes your geographical location a virtual one.
5. Still struggling to access blocked content? Try clearing your browser’s cache and cookies, connecting to another server in the same location, or contacting your VPN’s customer support for further guidance.

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There are no hidden terms—just contact support within 30 days if you decide NordVPN isn’t right for you, and you’ll get a full refund. Start your NordVPN trial here.

VPN apps with location spoofing

A couple of VPN apps come with built-in location spoofing features on top of the usual IP address masking:

• ExpressVPN browser extension – ExpressVPN’s plugins for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi can spoof your HTML5 geolocation. This is useful for websites that request your location before they’ll let you view content. Plus, ExpressVPN comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can be sure it’s right for you.
  
• Surfshark for Android – Surfshark’s Android app comes with a built-in GPS override function that allows you to set mock GPS locations to match your VPN server location. This is useful for apps that require access to your GPS location to access content. Also, Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can test it out before you commit.

As you can see from this short list, GPS and geolocation spoofing are not very common among VPN apps. See below for more solutions.

GPS mock locations

You can spoof your GPS location with a GPS spoofing app. There’s no shortage of apps like Fake GPS Location for Android and Location Faker for iOS. But these apps are not foolproof. In fact, they probably won’t work with apps that are strict about their location restrictions.

Apps can check your phone settings to see if you’ve allowed mock locations. If you have, the app knows you’re faking your location and won’t let you in. Apps like Pokemon Go and the MLB app are two examples.

Android GPS spoofing

Plenty of GPS spoofing apps that can be used to set mock locations are available on Google Play. As we mentioned, these might not work depending on the app that you’re trying to trick.

To use mock locations on Android, you’ll first need to enable developer options:

1. On Android, go to Settings (cog icon)
2. Scroll down to About phone
3. Scroll down to the bottom and tap Build number seven times
4. Go back to Settings and then to System > Advanced > Developer options
5. Click Select mock location app and set it to the GPS spoofing app you chose

Now open your GPS spoofing app and select a location. If you open up Google Maps, you’ll see your virtual location displayed.

If mock locations still don’t work, one solution is to root your Android phone, which will allow you to use mock locations without declaring it in the phone settings.

Once you’ve set a virtual location, use a VPN to connect to a server near the same place. This will ensure your GPS location and IP address location match.

iOS GPS spoofing

None of the GPS spoofing apps on the Apple App Store actually work, according to their reviews. Instead, you’ll need to download a desktop app and then connect your iPhone to it via a USB cable.

iTools and iPogo are popular options for iOS location spoofing. They are available with free trials.

Once installed and running, you can choose your mock location on a map and send it to your iPhone.

Alternatively, iOS users can jailbreak their phones and install Protect My Privacy from Cydia, a mobile package manager for jailbroken iPhones. In the app, go to Location and select Protect. Here you can use a map to drop a pin on your desired virtual location.

Once you’ve set a mock location, be sure to connect your VPN to a server in the same vicinity so that your IP address will match your fake GPS location.

How to fake your location in Google Chrome browser

Google’s developer tools allow you to set a fake location on Chrome using a simple override. Most sites that restrict users by geographical location do so according to IP address, not browser geolocation, but some sites might use both. In that situation, you can use this method in combination with a VPN to spoof your location:

1. In Chrome, click the three-dot icon in the top-right corner and select More tools > Developer tools
2. In the developer pane that shows up, click the three dots near the bottom left next to Console, and select Sensors. This will add a new tab.
3. Next to Location, click the dropdown to select an override location. Alternatively, you can click Manage to add more override locations or enter specific GPS coordinates.

If you just want to hide your browser location and not fake one, you can select Error, location unavailable from the dropdown.

Once you’ve overridden your location in Chrome, you’ll still need to use a VPN to get an IP address associated with that location.

Preventing DNS leaks

Whenever you visit a website or load an app, your device first needs to know where to download content. It does this using the Domain Name System, or DNS, which works like a phone book for the internet that translates IP addresses to domain names.

By default, DNS requests are sent to your internet service provider, which directs you to the content location so your device can establish a direct connection. Because ISPs are regional, a website or app can determine your location by analyzing DNS requests.

Many VPNs leak DNS requests outside of the VPN tunnel, revealing the user’s real IP address and location to websites and apps. This is called a DNS leak.

If you want to ensure that DNS leaks don’t happen, be sure to choose a VPN with strong leak prevention that uses its own private DNS servers. The VPNs we’ve recommended, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark, all come with leak prevention built-in and use private DNS servers. They also both come with 30-day money-back guarantees in case you want to test them for IP leaks before making a commitment.

Faking your GPS location: FAQs

Is faking your GPS location legal?

Yes. As long as you are not attempting to conceal or spoof your location to engage in criminal activities, then it is legal for you to alter the projected GPS location for your device. Thus, it is not the act of GPS spoofing that is illegal but instead your chosen activities and whether they are designed to harm, deceive, or scam someone.

It is also worth noting that it is illegal in most countries to attempt to spoof somebody else’s device in order to impersonate them without their knowledge and consent. To be sure that you understand the rules in your own country, we recommend that you do your own research. Nothing in this article should be taken as legal advice.

Can I use a free VPN to fake my GPs location?

We’d advise against using a free VPN to fake your GPS location. Free VPNs are not as dependable or secure as premium options, and they might even jeopardize the security of your data. Additionally, using a free VPN to mask your geolocation could result in poor speeds and performance, preventing you from performing tasks on the web. Instead, we recommend choosing one of the numerous premium services if you wish to modify your GPS position securely.

Does a VPN change your location?

A VPN is one of the tools you can use to change, hide or spoof your online location. VPNs can mask your IP address, changing them to an IP address in the location of your choosing. However, this will not be enough for some websites and apps which also check for GPS locations and DNS leaks too. So while a VPN does change your location, you should see the other tools listed in this article to ensure you’re doing everything possible to hide your location completely while online.