The simplest way to hide your IP address on Android is a VPN app: connect, and every app and website sees the VPN server's address instead of yours. Tor Browser hides it for the pages you open in that browser, and a proxy for the apps set to use it. Check your IP before and after to see the change.
What does your IP address reveal?
Your IP address is the address your connection uses on the internet, and every site and app you reach sees it, because it's needed to send the reply. Anyone can look up which provider it belongs to and a rough area, and sites use it together with cookies to link visits that seem separate. On its own, it doesn't reveal your name or your street address.
Ways to hide your IP address on Android
| Hides it from | Encrypts your traffic | Good to know | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A VPN app | Every app and site | Yes, to the VPN server | Covers lookups and WebRTC too |
| Tor Browser | The sites you open in it | Yes, inside the Tor network | Slower, and other apps keep your address |
| A proxy | The apps set to use it | Usually not | Other apps keep your address |
| Switching networks | Nobody | No | You get a new address of your own, not a hidden one |
The rest of this guide uses a VPN, because it's the method that covers the whole phone in one step. VPN vs. proxy compares the two in more detail.
How to hide your IP address with a VPN on Android
- Install a VPN app from Google Play. PryVPN works on phones and tablets with Android 8.0 or later.
- Open it and sign up with Google, or with your email and a password.
- Tap Connect and allow the VPN connection when Android asks. A key icon appears in the status bar.
- Open What is my IP in your browser: it now shows the VPN server's address.
To appear in a particular country, pick a city in Locations; changing your country on Android explains what that changes. How to use a VPN on Android covers the setup in more detail.
Does it work on Samsung, Xiaomi and other Android phones?
Yes. VPN apps use the VPN system built into Android, which works the same way on Samsung Galaxy, Xiaomi, Pixel, Motorola and other brands, on phones and tablets alike. The steps above are the same on all of them; only the path to Android's own VPN settings changes from one brand to another.
Can you hide your IP address for free?
Yes. Tor Browser is free, and so are some VPNs. A free service still has to pay for its servers, so check how before you trust it: no activity logs, no ads in your traffic and a clear list of what it stores. PryVPN is free with no card and publishes everything it stores; ten checks for any free VPN help you compare.
Keep your real IP from slipping out
- WebRTC: a VPN for the whole device covers it. The test on What is my IP shows what your browser reveals.
- IPv6: in PryVPN, IPv6 leak protection in the Protection tab keeps IPv6 inside the tunnel.
- Moments without the tunnel: Android's Always-on VPN and Block connections without VPN keep apps offline until the VPN is back. See the Kill Switch.
- Apps you exclude with split tunneling use your own address, by your choice.
The leak test in the app checks your public IP, your DNS server and IPv6 in a few seconds, and our guide to VPN leaks explains each one.
With your IP hidden, sites don't see your address and your network doesn't see the sites. Sites you sign into still know it's your account, so pair the VPN with your browser's private mode: see private browsing with a VPN.
Key takeaways
- A VPN hides your IP from every app and site on your phone.
- Tor Browser and proxies cover only their own traffic.
- It works the same on Samsung, Xiaomi, Pixel and other Android phones.
- Check your IP before and after, and run the leak test once.