If you aren’t aware, VPNs are often used to spoof locations or change your virtual identity/location. This is done because connecting through a virtual private network virtually connects your computer to a remote server with a different IP and thus different virtual location. So if you’re using one of the best VPNs, you can connect to a server in virtually any location and appear like you are there with virtually no speed loss (depending on encryption strength).
While changing your location with VPN has many advantages, turns out–there can also be some disadvantages. Recently some Pokemon Go users have been banned by spoofing their locations. One Reddit user posted that their friend got banned for spoofing their location to catch Pokemon in different areas.
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Niantic, the company behind Pokemon Go–and Ingress, the game before it (virtually the same game without Pokemon branding) has been known to go after location spoofers in their previous game Ingress. The company’s game uses GPS tracking in combination with other factors to get your location. While we can’t say for sure how they ban users, using a VPN could be utilized in conjunction with other GPS spoofing techniques (like jailbreaking iPhone or install custom GPS spoofing app onto your Android) could be used in conjunction to prevent bans.
Can Niantic detect spoofers since their IP doesn’t match their GPS location?
Using VPNs and GPS spoofing techniques to spoof your location, could potentially alter the way the game was meant to be played. That is, these games are supposed to be played with your real world location, not virtual locations that can be used through spoofers. This is understandable to an extent.
Now that some users are spoofing their locations with tools like VPN and GPS spoofing apps, they are reporting issues. Some users are even reporting issues since they travel a lot, with one user explaining that “this is terrible. I’ve been soft banned three times from traveling between cities and not playing during the drive. I drove home from Detroit last night to somewhere ~ an hour away. When I got home and charged my phone up, I was soft banned. If they can’t accurately detect real GPS spoofing, they have no business banning anyone. If I get permabanned for this shit and lose my level 23 account, I’m going to be pissed as HELL.”
While it can be assumed that Niantic is taking action against spoofers, how useful could VPN be when in used in conjunction with these spoofing tricks? If you can change your IP address to match a geolocation through GPS, Niantic could have a hard time finding out if you are spoofing.
However in a game that doesn’t have many mechanics at all, is it worth it to cheat and lose your treasured Pokemon? That’s not for us to decide. After all, we just help you choose good VPNs.
