On android, even when using VPN Google search is able to detect my location “from your IP address.” Webrtc is disabled, account isn’t signed in, location isn’t shared with my browser, past search activity is disabled, location timeline is disabled. But it’s specifically saying it’s from my IP address which shouldn’t be possible as far as I’m aware.
I’m using a reputable vpn (sub won’t let me state which one) and their checks show there are no leaks, as well as the fact that every other website sees my VPN IP. Only Google seems to know my actual IP. I don’t seem to remember this being an issue in the past. Thanks for any help. On my desktop PC it works as expected and shows my VPN location.
I’ll share with you a true event after having Published a 300 page and now analysis and audit of commercial VPN’s on four platforms, a study that took 14 months. I randomly informed a VPN related post that VPNs in general do not work neither as they should nor in any significant way on an iOS.
The best part was that I got downvoted Something like 50 times. It was wonderful because it woke up my eyes to learn that you cannot discuss a subject that you have studied for for nearly a decade and expect a herd crowd to understand or even have an open mind about what you are claiming.
Are you using google in the browser or from the home screen search bar? You mentioned you don’t have location shared with browser but the search bar is a separate app (literally the Google app). That is probably getting your location from GPS
Have you tried wiping the phone and starting over? Could be a cookie issue or something similar. I use a VPN from Sweden and do not have the issues you are referencing.
What do you get when you go to whatismyip.com when on VPN vs what you get when not on VPN? I mean, don’t tell me, lol, but do they match?
Basically, are you sure the IP address google is detecting is your personal device’s IP address and not the IP address of the VPN node your traffic is going out on?
Fair enough, but that hasn’t been my experience on Android at least until now. Usually leaks will come from something like webrtc, but that’s not the case in this scenario.
Do you have a link for to your paper? I’m interested to learn about your approach.
We’re not testing VPN on mobile for now but it is something we are considering in the future. If you have a great analysis system already in place there maybe we can come up with an agreement. Why reinvent the wheel if a great solution already exists.
Thanks for the reply. Because that’s what it uses when it doesn’t have access to gps location. When you don’t give it location access or sign into an account it will literally say it got the location via ip which is why I put it in quotes. Here is Screenshot.
Thanks for the response. It’s the browser 100 percent. Firefox and Chrome both. I’m pretty knowledgeable about this kind of thing which is why I’m so confused.
Brand new insurance replacement. Went ahead and cleared the data on the browser anyways and then used chrome which I hadn’t even used yet and got the same result.
Yes, I am absolutely positive. whatsmyip.com shows my vpn ip, unless I’m disconnected to it of course. As I said in the post, google is the only site that seems to be detecting my ISP IP. It’s very strange.
Edit: Even though I was already positive, I just checked again for shits and giggles. Whatsmyip.com shows the vpn IP and location, google shows my actual location and states “from your ip address.” It’s driving me absolutely crazy.
I didn’t say it changes GPS. That’s obvious. I thought I made it clear that I was specifically talking about the IP address. I guess the disconnect is due to you being unaware of the fact that they do indeed use your IP address for location when they don’t have access to GPS, which I said I didn’t give them access to in the post.
So Android knows your true IP address too? What’s your Android version? We found some Android leaks recently and the behavior is different across different Android versions. Would it be possible for you to test on a different Android version?
Of course, I’m just racing against time today like a machine but I’ll get it to you hopefully tonight if not please please remind me tomorrow.
Look I am not a conspiracy theorist at all I hate conspiracies. Apple and Microsoft are who they are because of what they do and that makes them uniquely special in the history of economics.
When you buy an apple phone it doesn’t really spy on you in the form of Espionage. It has no feelings for you one way or another but it wants to know how often you go to a health facility, How tall you are, What your sleeping patterns are alike, Where you go even when you’re not using your map, Pretty much everything. For that reason 2 things take place on the phone in regards to a VPN. They won’t allow you to modify your d yes and they want to keep you on their transit.
Now let’s say that you connect to Germany.
OK let’s say now that your IP through a browser indicates a city in Germany.
You check your maps and it tells you the Real city that you are in but you are supposed to be in Germany. You check your weather and it’s not snowing like it is over there and it’s even indicates through city. Some thumb sides detect correctly what city you are in and that you are just simply coming out of the data center But they get your GPS correctly. And worst of all if you weren’t germand you wanted to call someone in America you would have to dial the country code for America to speak to cause your phone would think that it’s roaming. But it’s actually connected to the nearest cell tower. Now we’ve gone forbid something happened to you and you drove off a cliff the police would contact your Carrier who would tell them by your IEMI what your GPS Coordinates are and hopefully they will be able to save your life and time.
