How to fake location on Android

There are multiple reasons why one would want to hide their current location or fake it to mimic any other location around the globe. There are multiple benefits to spoofing your location, especially in accessing content that is not permitted in your region. If you want to learn how to fake location on Android, we have a detailed list of instructions, with 3 different methods.

Table of contents:

1. Use a mock location
2. Use a VPN or Proxy
3. Go far and beyond to set a fake location on your Android

How can I spoof location in Android?

Method 1: Use a mock location

Let’s start with the simplest of ways to spoof location provided by GPS readings with any mock location of your preference.

This is especially useful for certain apps, while it won’t work at all with others that can identify the fake GPS app running in the background. In order to use the Mock location, you’ll need to access Developer options on your device.

In addition, you’ll need to use a third-party app as the mock location app. There’s a variety of available apps that spoof location. Just to showcase the procedure, we’ll be using a Fake GPS Location that can be found on the Play Store.

Once you get the app and add it as the Mock app in the Developer options, you should be able to spoof your location with ease.

Follow these steps to use the Mock location app to fake your current GPS location:

1. Download and install Fake GPS location (Play Store link).
2. Navigate to Settings > System > About phone. This path might differ based on your device.
3. Locate the Build number and tap on it 7 times in order to enable Developer options access.
4. Once you’ve enabled Developer options, get back to System and open Developer options there (again, the path might be different on different Android ‘skins’).
5. Tap Select mock location app.
6. Choose Fake GPS Location.
7. Open the app and select the GPS location you want.

That’s it. Try a weather app or some other location-dependent app to confirm that the fake location is the one actually recognized.

Method 2: Use a VPN or Proxy

Although this isn’t fully related to GPS but rather to your IP address, there are plenty of advantages of using a VPN service to spoof your location. Besides accessing the geo-restricted content, VPN or Proxy will protect your privacy while online.

We highly recommend using NordVPN that not only offers complete VPN functionality for 6 devices, but it works astonishingly well on Android. To add to an already great offer, NordVPN also brings a password manager. Hiding IP addresses with a VPN like NordVPN is a walk in the park.

Once you’ve downloaded the app and signed in, the only thing remaining is to choose the location that you want to use in order to mimic your internet address.

Check out NordVPN and learn about its many advantages. It’s currently on sale and we encourage you to get it if you need a reliable, solid VPN solution. Just make sure to inform before pledging your money to the VPN subscription.

Method 3: Go far and beyond to set a fake location on your Android

Finally, if you really need to completely fake your location on an Android device, there awaits a lot of effort. People online will usually suggest just a VPN or just a GPS spoofing method but most system apps won’t get tricked by that.

You can try and combine them and get better results, but if you really need your device (including all apps) not to be aware of your current location, you’ll need to remove your SIM card, disable GPS, and then clear cache and data from various system services.

Then and only then you would be able to fully use a fake location on your handset. This is usually not necessary but users do it in order to get system updates that are not available in their region momentarily. For example, Samsung will release updates in certain regions and, if you are not in that region, you can use a VPN service to spoof your location and trick the system. This way, you’ll get updates before they are intended for your region.

Follow these instructions to set a fake location on your Android:

1. Remove your SIM card from the device and make sure GPS is off.
2. Install NordVPN or any other VPN of your choice.
3. Now, navigate to Settings > Apps > All apps (Manage apps or Apps manager).
4. Once there, tap on the 3-dot menu and choose to Show system processes.
5. After that, navigate to all these apps and services and clear the cache and data from each and every one:
   • GOOGLE SERVICES FRAMEWORK
   • GOOGLE PLAY SERVICES
   • FUSED LOCATION
   • GOOGLE
   • LOCATION SERVICES
   • GOOGLE BACKUP TRANSPORT
6. Don’t worry if you can’t find certain services, just stick with the ones you have.
7. Now, run the VPN app and select the location you need.

This approach is recommended when you really need to download an app from a region that’s not supported (Spotify or Netflix) or get a system update over the air from a different region and not wait for days.

That’s a wrap. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to tell us what method you used to spoof your location in the comments section below or write to us on Facebook and Twitter. We look forward to hearing from you.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in December 2019. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.