Mock location detection

final result = await DeviceShield.checkMockLocation();

final canReadLocation = result.locationPermissionGranted;

The SDK never requests location permission. The location-based signals only work if your app already has it. See Android setup and iOS setup.

Android signals

Signal	Check	Needs location permission
mock_provider_flag	The most recent known location (GPS, network or passive provider) is marked as coming from a mock provider	Yes
impossible_velocity	Moving faster than 300 m/s since the previous check (ignored if the fixes are under 3 s or 10 m apart)	Yes
mock_app_selected_for_this_app	The user selected this app as the mock-location app in developer options	No
fake_gps_app_installed	One of 10 known fake-GPS apps is installed	No
legacy_allow_mock_location_setting	The Allow mock locations setting is on (Android 5.x only)	No

The strengths are on the Signals page.

An installed app isn't a mocked location

fake_gps_app_installed fires when the app is merely installed, not running, so it’s a weak signal and never means detected on its own. mock_provider_flag is the signal that shows a location actually is mocked.

iOS signals

Signal	Check	Needs location permission
known_spoofing_tweak_artifact	A known location-spoofing tweak or app is present (5 paths, jailbroken devices only)	No
invalid_location_accuracy	The last location reports a negative horizontal accuracy	Yes
impossible_velocity	Same rule as Android	Yes

Limited on iOS today

The location signals rarely fire on iOS, because the SDK reads the last known location without starting location updates, which usually yields nothing. The SDK also doesn’t yet use iOS 15’s isSimulatedBySoftware, Apple’s supported way to detect a simulated location.

What the check could see

MockLocationResult adds two fields:

Field	Meaning
locationPermissionGranted	Your app has location permission, so location signals could run
locationAvailable	A location was actually available to inspect

The first impossible_velocity check only records a location. Speed can be compared from the second check onwards, within the same app process.