There are plenty of reasons to change your location on Android. Maybe you want to change your location so you can access location-restricted sites like your banking app on your phone. You may just want to mask your Android device’s location as a privacy measure. Whatever your goal, in this article, you’ll discover a couple of easy, reliable ways to change your Android’s location.
As well as learning how to turn off location tracking on your Android device, we’ll cover how Android location tracking and GPS work. We’ll also discuss the difference between changing your GPS location and changing your IP location. It’s good to know, because depending on your goals, you might only need to change one.
By the end of this, you’ll be a location-spoofing expert. Let’s dive right in!
How to Quickly Change Your IP Address on Android
Follow these steps to instantly change your Android’s virtual location to one of 100+ countries:
- Sign up for CyberGhost VPN. It’s quick and easy.
- Download and install the CyberGhost VPN Android app.
- Sign in, choose a server location, and tap to connect.
- That’s it! The apps and sites you use will now detect the server’s location instead of yours.
Why Change Your Android Location?
Changing your location has several advantages, including:
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- Privacy: You may wish to keep your IP address and location private to evade trackers and other threat actors.
- Access geo-blocked content: As some sites are only available in certain countries, you may want to spoof your location to regain access to it when traveling abroad.
- Testing and development: You may need to spoof your GPS or IP address to test location-based settings and features for work.
How Google Detects and Uses Your Phone’s Location
Google detects your location from your IP address and your GPS location. It uses this information to provide location-based services and features. It also uses it to track you online on behalf of its many advertising and government partners.
According to Google, it needs your location data to provide features such as:
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- Google location accuracy
- Emergency location service
- Earthquake alerts
- Time zone accuracy
- Location history for your Google account
- Google Maps
- Relevant search results
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scanning
Google warns that these services may not work if you turn off location tracking.
How to Turn Off Location Tracking in Android Settings
You may want to turn off location tracking entirely even at risk of some services not working properly. On most Android devices, you can simply swipe down on your home screen and tap the location icon to turn your location on and off. You can also do it in your Android settings – just follow these three steps:
- Go to your Settings app.
- Go to Personal, then select Location access.
- At the top of the screen, you can switch location access on and off.
How to Turn Off Location Tracking in Google Settings
You might also want to turn off your Google Location History:
- Go to your Google Account and click on your profile icon. Then select Manage your Google Account.
- Next, select Data & privacy.
- From there, scroll down and click on Location History.
- Lastly, select Turn off.
Will this stop Google from keeping a record of your movements? Probably not…
Google’s Dodgy Privacy Practices
You might be surprised to still get location-based ads or notifications, despite having turned off location tracking.
Google claims to block anyone, including itself and Android, from seeing your location when you turn off location in Google settings. However, the recent slew of lawsuits against Google suggests the company – and by extension, subsidiaries like Android – are far from transparent or truthful about their location-privacy practices.
Sadly, the only way to avoid Google tracking you may be to deGoogle your life completely.
Even then, your phone’s location is still being tracked in other ways. Any number of entities, from internet service providers and government surveillance agencies to marketers, also use your GPS coordinates, your IP address, or spyware to keep tabs on you. That’s why you have to do more than turn off your location to avoid revealing your location online.
Change Your GPS Location
You can fake your GPS coordinates using a location-spoofing app, for one thing.
GPS, or the Global Positioning System, is often used to track your phone’s location. This satellite-based navigation system can be used to identify your device’s approximate GPS coordinates, even when you’ve disabled location tracking.
Instead of turning off location data entirely, you can use a location-spoofing app to change your GPS coordinates and virtually relocate to someplace else. This lets you retain access to location-based services, even if, or indeed specifically because they’re targeting a different location.
Change Your IP Address Location
Your IP address is another way websites and platforms can detect your rough location. Your IP address indicates your virtual location, based on where your ISP’s server is located. Everything you interact with online – from your browser to websites, apps, social media sites, and search engines – uses your IP address to detect your location and decide what content to show you.
When you mask your IP address with a VPN, you change your virtual location. All your traffic will seem to be coming from the VPN server’s location, and you’ll be able to access sites and services associated with that locale.
GPS Location or IP Location — Which Should You Change?
It depends on your goals. If you want to take your streaming subscriptions along when you travel abroad, for example, you’ll need to change your IP address. You can do this easily with CyberGhost VPN.
Changing your GPS location, on the other hand, tricks all your location-based apps and services into thinking you’re somewhere else. This lets you access location-specific features from far-off places on any app you like. Just be sure to use a tried-and-true fake location app, as unreliable ones can be dangerous.
How to Change Your Location on Android with a VPN
To change your IP address and location on Android using a VPN, follow these 3 simple steps:
- Get a VPN subscription from a high-quality VPN provider.
- Download and install the Android VPN client.
- Connect to a server to change your IP address location.
Why Choose CyberGhost VPN
Not all VPNs can reliably unblock content, but CyberGhost’s streaming-optimized servers are designed to work with all your favorite streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.
Take advantage of our global network spanning over 100 countries. Our app lets you change your IP address to a country of your choice whenever you want to.
CyberGhost VPN comes with top speeds and important privacy features, such as:
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- A strict No Logs policy: If privacy is your main concern, worry not. Our No Logs policy was audited by Deloitte, so you don’t need to simply take our word for it.
- 7 device connections. A single subscription lets you connect up to 7 devices at any time, whether Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, or Linux.
- Automatic Kill Switch. Our Kill Switch feature keeps your data safe in the unlikely event your VPN connection drops.
Try CyberGhost VPN risk-free with a 45-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not entirely happy with our service, we’ll give you a full refund.
How to Change Your Location without a VPN
If you don’t have a VPN, you can change your GPS location on Android with a GPS location-spoofing app.
We tested one called Fake GPS to see if it could successfully spoof a phone’s location on Google Maps, and it did the job just fine.
Here’s how to change your GPS location on Android using a location spoofing app.
- Install the app from the Google Play Store
- Turn on Developer mode
Go to Settings → About phone → Software information.
Tap Build number quickly 7 times.
You’ll be prompted to enter your passcode. When you do, you’ll see a pop-up telling you Developer mode has been enabled.
- Select Mock Location App
Before you can use the app to spoof your location, you’ll need to select it as your mock location app. Here’s how:
- Go to Settings
- Scroll down to Developer options
- Go to Select mock location app and choose the app you want to use. In this case, it’s the Fake GPS app.
- Select your location on the app
Once you enable Developer mode, go to the app and drop the pin wherever you want to virtually appear.
- Check your location
You can check Google Maps to see if it worked. Your pin should now appear in the location you chose on the app.
Dangers of Using Location-Spoofing Apps
The Google Play Store has loads of harmful fake apps that promise to spoof your location but also carry malicious payloads. If you install the wrong one, you could put your device and privacy at risk. It’s a good idea to check reviews and online trust scores before installing any new apps.
Spoofing your location with fake GPS apps might also violate a website or app’s terms of service and get you banned. Location-spoofing apps can also drain your battery and lower your phone’s performance.
Using CyberGhost VPN is an easy, safe way to spoof your location without any of the risks of fake apps. You also won’t have to mess about with developer settings in your phone – all you have to do is download the app, log in, and choose a server location.
Troubleshooting: Why Changing Your Android Location Isn’t Working
If you run into issues changing your location, here’s a list of common fixes:
- Configure and update the mock location app. Remember to select the mock location app you want to use to configure your location. You can do this in the Developer settings on your Android device. Also, make sure the app is fully updated before using it to spoof your location.
- Check your VPN connection. Double-check if the VPN is connected. If your internet connection drops, your VPN may lose connectivity. Open your VPN app to ensure it’s properly connected to the server of your choice.
- Check for VPN blocks. Certain apps can detect and block VPNs and mock location apps. Look online to see if others may have run into similar issues. Check out the Ghostie Guide to Bypassing VPN Blocks for helpful tips on overcoming restrictions.
- Speak to our friendly 24/7 Customer Support team. We’d be happy to talk you through changing your Android location, with or without a VPN.
Taking Charge of Your Location Settings
It’s frightening to think your Android device is constantly tracking you and restricting what you can do based on your location. What’s more annoying is how Google, which owns Android, continues to track you, even with your location tracking turned off!
Luckily, you have other ways to mask your location, such as a VPN or a mock location app. We hope this post helped clear up how these work and when might be a good time to use them to hide your location on Android.
Be sure to also check out our guides on how to change your Chrome location and how to change your country on the Google Play Store.
Change your IP address and virtual location easily with CyberGhost VPN. Connect to any one of our ultra-fast servers around the world to change your Android device’s IP address and location in seconds. Try it risk-free today.
FAQ
Easy. You have two ways to change your Android location, either:
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- With a VPN: Connect to a VPN server somewhere else to mask your virtual location. Find detailed instructions here.
- Without a VPN. Use a mock-location app like Fake GPS to spoof your GPS location. Find detailed instructions here.
You can change your location on Google with a mock location app. Here’s how you can:
Easy, use a VPN to mask your IP address with one from another country. That way, all the platforms and websites you visit will see you as being in that country, and give you access to content usually only available there.
Get CyberGhost VPN to change your location to any of 100 countries worldwide.
The short answer is yes. People can track your phone in other ways, including through your GPS location, IP address, or spyware installed on your phone.
It’s not enough to turn off location tracking in your Google or Android settings. You need to use a VPN to change your IP address or spoof your GPS location with a mock location app if you want to properly conceal your phone’s location. You can also run malware scans on your phone to detect spyware. Read this full article for more information.
Yes, you can change your IP address and your virtual location using a VPN — simply connect to a VPN server in a different location of your choice. Now the websites and platforms you visit will think you’re in that location and will change your content accordingly. You can also use a mock location app to spoof your GPS location.
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