How to Spoof your Location

Ever wondered why so many apps ask your permission to know your current location? People often take online privacy for granted. This makes them susceptible to risks such as online surveillance and stalking. One should always be concerned about their online actions which can lead a trail of digital breadcrumbs – compromising your privacy and identity.

One of the measures to be considered in this regard is spoofing your location online. Along with countless other way, location spoofing is a measure that works best in protecting you from surveillance and stalking. Further, location spoofing lets you to bypass geo-restrictions – allowing you to access content restricted in your locality.

how to spoof your location icon

Jump to…

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.

Mobile vs. Desktop Spoofing

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.

Location Spoofing on Mobile Devices

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.

Location or GPS Spoofing Apps for Android

With thorough research and testing, we came across following apps that can be used if you own an Android device.

  • GPS JoyStick (Rating 4.6 stars): Free but contains ads and offers in-app purchases
  • Fake GPS location (Rating 4.5 stars): Free but contains ads
  • Fake GPS location By Hola (Rating 4.3 stars): Free and offers in-app purchases
  • Fake GPS location (Rating 4.3 stars): Free but contains ads
  • Fake GPS Location PRO (Rating 4.3 stars): Free but contains ads

Location or GPS Spoofing Apps for iOS

If you prefer an iOS device over Android then you may consider following apps to spoof your location.

  • Spoofer Go (Rating 4.5): Cost $0.99
  • Fake Location for moments (Rating 4.4): Free and offers in-app purchases
  • Fake GPS Location (Rating 4.0): Cost $3.99
  • Fake GPS Location (Rating 3.9): Free and offers in-app purchases
  • Fake GPS Location Changer (Rating 3.7): Free and offers in-app purchases

Location Spoofing on Desktop

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:

  • Access the “Menu” by clicking on top right corner of Chrome’s toolbar.
  • Now select “Settings.”
  • Locate “Privacy and Security” tab.
  • In “Privacy and Security” tab select “Content Settings”.
  • Now select “Location.”
  • Turn on “Ask before Accessing” feature.
  • You’re done.

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:

  • Visit ctrlq.org/maps/address/.
  • Record the coordinates (Latitude and Longitude) of your desired location.
  • Open “Chrome” and press “Ctrl+Shift+I” to access “Developer Options”.
  • Access “Menu” in the top right corner of “Developer Options”.
  • Scroll down and select “More Tools”.
  • Locate and select “Sensors” tab at the bottom of the window.
  • Click drop down menu adjacent to geo-location and select “Custom Location”.
  • Now add the recorded coordinates of your desired location.
  • Reload the page and you’re done.

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.

Shortcomings of Location Spoofing

With respect to mobile devices, there is a downside of using 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 for 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 lead to a bizarre in-app experience. Since there is a high likelihood of app glitches, spoofing your location via aforementioned apps and reverting it back 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.

Best way to Spoof your Location - A Viable Alternative

As said earlier, location spoofing is possible on desktop as well as mobile devices. However, the aforementioned methods are partial and temporary. In contrast, a VPN is 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. In addition, 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 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 around the globe.

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.

Here are some more guide to further erase your online presence: