Location spoofing refers to either faking your current location or hiding it completely. Since later is much more difficult to realize, let’s just focus on hiding or masking your location for now.
Location spoofing can be accomplished via either manual configuration or apps available. We will be discussing both the approaches and recommending viably convenient solution.
People either use their Smartphones or Desktops to connect to the digital world. For desktops, you can spoof your location by completing a series of steps – configuring desired settings on your browser. However, we call it partial spoofing as it does not offer complete anonymity. Other apps and software installed on your desktop can still access your location along with your ISP (Internet Service Provider).
On mobile, location spoofing is a completely different story. Mobile browsers, by default, have access to your IP. And your IP is your digital footprint. However, most of the apps installed on your mobile fetch location data from your GPS. Thus, in order to fake your location on mobile, you need to either maneuver your GPS or keep it turned off indefinitely. Just like faking location on desktop, this is also partial and not absolute spoofing.
You can spoof your location on phone by tricking apps installed on your device. Since most of the apps are location based and fetch data from GPS, spoofing your location on phone involves GPS maneuvering. There are countless apps that can be used to spoof your location.
No matter if you are an Android user or prefer an iOS device, there are many apps that can be used to maneuver your GPS and fake your real location. Though, the results are not 100 percent guaranteed. At times, you might still get caught by apps while trying to spoof your location and be denied of it indefinitely.
With thorough research and testing, we came across following apps that can be used if you own an Android device.
If you prefer an iOS device over Android then you may consider following apps to spoof your location.
Location spoofing is backed by many reasons. Some may prefer to remain anonymous over the internet, others may wish to bypass geo-restrictions. Location spoofing can grant you all of that. By faking your location, you can access web content that is locked or restricted by your locality. This includes streaming content or services that have been restricted in your location.
Unlike mobile, on desktop people use browsers to connect to the internet. As said earlier, location spoofing on desktop is done manually through a series of steps to configure your desired settings. Since Chrome is the most renowned and preferred web browser around the globe, we will be providing manual steps to spoof your location in Chrome.
There are two ways to spoof your location with Chrome. First method is by turning off location sharing. This can be achieved by following below given steps:
Aforesaid settings disallow websites from accessing your location. If you wish to add exceptions, you can allow specific sites to access your location. Similarly, if you wish to block specific sites from doing so, that can be done as well in the “Location” tab.
There is another way to spoof your location using Chrome. Remember! The method that we are about to share and the aforesaid approach might partially spoof your location. Using these methods, you can access geo-locked content such as news sites. Albeit, you will not be able to access premium services such as Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime, if they are restricted in your region. For that, you might have to consider other reliable alternatives such as a VPN.
The following configuration needs to be done each time you start a new browser session. This setting is temporary and would be revoked once you have closed the browser. Here are the steps:
Chrome will now consider your search queries as per the changed location and show results accordingly. Bear in mind that the aforementioned settings are temporary. The configurations would refresh once the browser is closed.
For mobile devices, there is a downside to using the above-mentioned apps to spoof your location. Location spoofing may sound fascinating, but it can compromise the core purpose of using some apps that need your real GPS location for desired results.
Suppose you are using Google maps to know the directions to a particular destination from your current location. Faking your GPS location can also be troublesome when you wish to call an Uber. Further, it would be hard for you to get any weather updates about your location since it is not discoverable by the GPS.
You may trick apps fetching data from your GPS and spoof your real location. However, this compromises the core purpose of using a location-driven app that leads to a bizarre in-app experience. Since there is a high likelihood of app glitches, spoofing your location via the aforementioned apps, and reverting, it can be irritating at times.
, Unlike mobile devices, desktop requires manual configuration through a series of steps. This is extremely tedious as you will have to repeat the process over and over again. Location spoofing using Chrome is a temporary process and refreshes each time a session has ended. Despite all the hassle, the process only gives you access to meager geo-restricted content.
As said earlier, location spoofing is possible on desktop and mobile devices. However, the aforementioned methods are partial and temporary. In contrast, a VPN is a much more convenient and reliable alternative.
Since your IP is regarded as a digital footprint, a VPN allows you to mask your real IP and hide your identity. This means absolute online privacy and anonymity. Also, a VPN encrypts your data and ensures security – protecting your data from unauthorized access.
By connecting to a server of your choice, you can bypass all geo-restrictions and access the desired content. Further, a VPN enables you to unblock premium streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime outside your country and access content worldwide.
With an app that is compatible with Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS devices, PureVPN tosses your device compatibility concerns out of the window. Say goodbye to the mind-numbing manual configuration steps and glitchy apps. Spoof your location instantly with a single click for just $0.99 7-day trial.