Have you ever wanted to try out cool Snapchat geo-filters but couldn’t because, in order to access it, you needed to be at a specific place? Or do you still play Pokemon Go and want to cheat by reaching new places without leaving your house? If you’ve still haven’t figured out where I’m going with this, this is about faking your GPS location on your phone.
Yes, it is possible to fabricate your whereabouts using a technique known as Location Spoofing. However, one thing that you need to know is that there are two ways your location can be determined. The first one is through your IP Address. When you surf the internet through any device, you are given an IP Address by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Websites can automatically detect your IP Address and can thus determine your location as each IP Address is unique.
However, IP Address locations are not the most accurate and can be easily faked using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Many people use a VPN to access sites or content blocked in their countries. However, services like Netflix can detect IP Addresses used by VPNs so people can’t access content unavailable in their countries for copyright reasons.
That brings us to GPS location. It works by the use of several satellites orbiting the earth at an altitude on 20,000km. They broadcast radio signals that any device with a GPS receiver can receive. That way the exact geographical location of your device can be determined. GPS is really accurate can locate with a user range error of 7.8 metres, which is impressive. What you may not know is that this too can be fooled into thinking that you are somewhere other than your actual location.
What you’ll need:
- An Android device that has GPS.
- A working Internet Connection.
Step 1: Enable Developer Options
- Go to Settings>About Device. If you can’t find About Device, go to the adequate setting where you can check the Android Version.
- There you’ll find Build Number written. Repeatedly press it till you see a message displayed that says Developer mode has been activated.
Step 2: Download The App
- There are many apps on the Play Store that can Spoof your location. The one I use is Fake GPS GO Location Spoofer Free.
- The app is free. Download it.
Step 3: Enable Mock Locations
- Go to Settings>Developer Options. The Developer Options tab would have appeared after Step1.
- Enable the Developer Options via the toggle.
- Scroll Down till you see Enable Mock Locations. Tap it once to enable it.
- In some phones, you might need to add an app for mock location. For this, the app you downloaded in Step 2 will be listed there.
- Select it.
Step 4: Fake Your Location
- Make sure your phone Location is switched on and set to High Accuracy.
- Open the Fake GPS app.
- Manually select a location by Navigating the map or by typing in a location via the search icon.
- Once the pin is on your desired location. Press the orange play button on the bottom-right.
- You have spoofed your GPS location. To check open Google Maps and locate yourself. It will show the fake location.
