How to change your IP address on Android

An Android phone uses several network addresses. The right method depends on which one you want to change and why.

For ordinary privacy and network testing, the relevant address is usually the public IP address that a website sees. A VPN changes that visible network address by routing configured traffic through a VPN gateway.

Public and private IP addresses

Your private address often looks like 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, or another reserved range. It helps devices communicate inside a local network and is not normally the address a public website sees.

Your public IP is assigned by the network that carries your traffic onto the internet. On home Wi-Fi that may be the internet provider; on mobile data it may be the carrier; with a connected VPN it is normally the VPN gateway for traffic routed through the tunnel.

Method 1: connect through TuxlerVPN Mobile

1. Install TuxlerVPN Mobile from Google Play.
2. Open the app and approve Android’s VPN permission prompt.
3. Select an available gateway location.
4. Tap Connect.
5. Wait for the connected state and Android’s VPN indicator.

When connected, services reached through the VPN configuration see the gateway’s public IP address rather than the access network’s public IP. TuxlerVPN Mobile uses WireGuard and Android’s VpnService for this network path.

TuxlerVPN Mobile creates an encrypted connection between your Android device and the selected VPN gateway.

Method 2: reconnect mobile data

Turning Airplane mode on briefly and then off causes the phone to reconnect to the mobile carrier. The carrier may assign a different public or carrier-side address, but it may also assign the same one. The result depends entirely on the carrier’s network.

This method does not create an encrypted VPN tunnel and does not let you select a gateway location.

Method 3: reconnect a router or Wi-Fi network

Disconnecting and reconnecting Wi-Fi normally gives the phone a new private address only if the router chooses to do so. Restarting a home router may cause the internet provider to assign a new public IP, but many providers retain the same address or use long leases.

Changing a private IP is useful for local-network troubleshooting. It does not necessarily change the public address visible to websites.

How to check the result

Use a reputable IP lookup service before and after the change, and compare:

• the public IP address;
• the network or autonomous system shown for that address; and
• the approximate network location.

An IP lookup is a diagnostic aid, not proof of a person’s precise location or identity. Results can differ because IP geolocation databases are updated on different schedules.

If you are checking a VPN connection, also confirm that Android shows the VPN as active. For DNS behavior, compare the result with the current DNS flow described in the Privacy Policy: Tuxler’s primary resolver is used through the tunnel, with Quad9 as a fallback when the primary is unavailable.

What changing an IP address does not change

Changing the public IP address is a network-layer change. It does not automatically change:

• GPS or other device location signals;
• the country or region associated with an online account;
• cookies, browser storage, or signed-in sessions;
• advertising or app identifiers already present on the device;
• information you provide directly to a website or app; or
• a website’s own security or access rules.

A VPN should be described as one layer of network protection, not as a guarantee of anonymity or universal access.

Standard and Premium

Standard currently has no monthly data allowance or time-limited trial and uses a published performance allocation of approximately 1.2 Mbps down and 0.5 Mbps up. Premium provides a higher published allocation. Actual throughput varies with the device, access network, gateway, and congestion.

Google Play shows the current price and renewal terms before a Premium purchase. The Subscription Terms and Acceptable Use Policy govern current plan access and permitted use.