How to Detect Fake GPS Apps Using AI
This Knowledge Base article describes how to use Appdome’s AI/ML in your CI/CD pipeline to continuously deliver plugins that Detect Fake GPS App in Mobile apps.
What Are Fake GPS Apps?
Fake GPS apps are tools that allow attackers to manipulate a device’s GPS location, deceiving apps into recognizing a false location. These apps spoof system-level GPS data, making the fake location appear legitimate and difficult for apps to detect. Attackers often use them to bypass geofencing, evade location-based restrictions, or gain unfair advantages in location-dependent services like gaming, ride-hailing, or financial applications. As AI-powered malware agents evolve, they can autonomously alter GPS data without relying on traditional fake GPS apps, further complicating detection and defense. Protecting against these threats is critical for compliance with PSD2 regulations in financial applications, which require accurate verification of user location to mitigate fraud and maintain secure operations.
How Appdome Protects Mobile Apps Against Fake GPS Apps?
Appdome’s dynamic Detect Fake GPS App plugin for Android defends against location spoofing apps that fake GPS coordinates to bypass app restrictions, enable fraud, or manipulate location-based services. The plugin continuously monitors the Android environment for fake GPS tools such as Fake GPS Location, GPS Joystick, and Mock GPS by detecting mock location settings. When a Fake GPS App threat is detected, the plugin’s default behavior is to send telemetry behavior to the developer’s back-end system to decide the next-step workflow for that user’s account. It also can close the app. Mobile developers can leverage Appdome’s Threat-Events™ to collect detailed data on fake GPS-related events and create customized in-app responses based on detected threats.
Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Detect Fake GPS App Plugins:
To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Detect Fake GPS App , you’ll need:
Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
A license for Detect Fake GPS App
Mobile App (.ipa for iOS or .apk or .aab for Android)
Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps and Signing Secure iOS apps)
How to Implement Detect Fake GPS App in Mobile Apps Using Appdome
On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Mobile Apps that Detect Fake GPS App without an SDK or gateway:
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Designate the Mobile App to be protected.
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Upload an app via the Appdome Mobile Defense platform GUI or via Appdome’s DEV-API or CI/CD Plugins.
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Mobile App Formats: .ipa for iOS, or .apk or .aab for Android
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Detect Fake GPS App is compatible with: Obj-C, Java, JS, C#, C++, Swift, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, and more.
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Select the defense: Detect Fake GPS App.
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Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the Detect Fake GPS App feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.
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When you select the Detect Fake GPS App you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Detect Fake GPS App.
Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Detect Fake GPS App protection
Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory). -
Open the Fusion Set Detail Summary by clicking the “...” symbol on the far-right corner of the Fusion Set. Copy the Fusion Set ID from the Fusion Set Detail Summary (as shown below):
Figure 3: Fusion Set Detail Summary
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Follow the instructions below to use the Fusion Set ID inside any standard mobile DevOps or CI/CD toolkit like Bitrise, Jenkins, Travis, Team City, Circle CI or other system:
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Refer to the Appdome API Reference Guide for API building instructions.
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Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository.
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Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Detect Fake GPS App feature as shown below:Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Detect Fake GPS App feature
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Add the Detect Fake GPS App feature to your security template.
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Navigate to Build > Security tab > Secure Communication section in the Appdome Console.
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Toggle OnDetect Fake GPS App.
(a) Choose to monitor this attack vector by checking the Threat Events checkbox associated with Detect Fake GPS App as shown below.
(b) To receive mobile Threat Monitoring, check the ThreatScope™ box as shown below. For more details, see our knowledge base article on ThreatScope™ Mobile XDR.Figure 4: Selecting Detect Fake GPS App
Note: The Appdome Platform displays the Mobile Operation Systems supported by each defense in real-time. For more details, see our OS Support Policy KB. -
Select the Threat-Event™ in-app mobile Threat Defense and Intelligence policy for Detect Fake GPS App:
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Threat-Events™ OFF > In-App Defense
If the Threat-Events™ setting is not selected. Appdome will detect and defend the user and app by enforcing Fake GPS App.
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Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Detection
When this setting is used, Appdome detects attempts at faking the app GPS location and passes Appdome’s Threat-Event™ attack intelligence to the app’s business logic for processing, enforcement, and user notification. For more information on consuming and using Appdome Threat-Events™ in the app, see section Using Threat-Events™ to Detect Detect Fake GPS App Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
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Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Defense
When this setting is used, Appdome detects and defends against Fake GPS App (same as Appdome Enforce) and passes Appdome’s Threat-Event™ attack intelligence to the app’s business logic for processing. For more information on consuming and using Appdome Threat-Events™ in the app, see section Using Threat-Events™ for Detect Detect Fake GPS App Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
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Configure the User Experience Options for Detect Fake GPS App:
With Threat-Events™ OFF, Appdome provides several user experience options for mobile brands and developers.- App Compromise Notification: Customize the pop-up or toast Appdome uses to notify the user when a threat is present while using the protected mobile app.
- Short message Option. This is available for mobile devices that allow a banner notification for security events.
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Localized Message Option. Allows Appdome users to support global languages in security notifications.
Figure 5: Default User Experience Options for Appdome’s Fake GPS App
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Detect Fake GPS App Threat Code™. Appdome uses AI/ML to generate a unique code each time Detect Fake GPS App is triggered by an active threat on the mobile device. Use the code in Appdome Threat Resolution Center™ to help end users identify, find and resolve active threats on the personal mobile devices.
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Congratulations! The Detect Fake GPS App protection is now added to the mobile app -
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Certify the Detect Fake GPS App feature in Mobile Apps
After building Detect Fake GPS App, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Detect Fake GPS App protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Detect Fake GPS App protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below:
Figure 6: Certified Secure™ certificate
Each Certified Secure™ certificate provides DevOps and DevSecOps organizations the entire workflow summary, audit trail of each build, and proof of protection that Detect Fake GPS App has been added to each Mobile app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Detect Fake GPS App and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.
Using Threat-Events™ for Fake GPS App Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps
Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when Fake GPS App is detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for Fake GPS App in Mobile Apps, use AddObserverForName in Notification Center, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for Fake GPS App shown below.
The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Fake GPS App are:
Threat-Event™ Elements | Detect Fake GPS App Method Detail |
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Appdome Feature Name | Detect Fake GPS App |
Threat-Event Mode | |
OFF, IN-APP DEFENSE | Appdome detects, defends and notifies user (standard OS dialog) using customizable messaging. |
ON, IN-APP DETECTION | Appdome detects the attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (app chooses how and when to enforce). |
ON, IN-APP DEFENSE | Uses Appdome Enforce mode for any attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (gather intel on attacks and threats without losing any protection). |
Certified Secure™ Threat Event Check | |
Visible in ThreatScope™ | |
Developer Parameters for Detecting Fake GPS App Threat-Event™ | |
Threat-Event NAME | GeoLocationMockByAppDetected |
Threat-Event DATA | reasonData |
Threat-Event CODE | reasonCode |
Threat-Event REF | 6801 |
Threat-Event SCORE | |
currentThreatEventScore | Current Threat-Event score |
threatEventsScore | Total Threat-events score |
Threat-Event Context Keys | |
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message | Message displayed for the user on event |
failSafeEnforce | Timed enforcement against the identified threat |
externalID | The external ID of the event which can be listened via Threat Events |
osVersion | OS version of the current device |
deviceModel | Current device model |
deviceManufacturer | The manufacturer of the current device |
fusedAppToken | The task ID of the Appdome fusion of the currently running app |
kernelInfo | Info about the kernel: system name, node name, release, version and machine. |
carrierPlmn | PLMN of the device. Only available for Android devices. |
deviceID | Current device ID |
reasonCode | Reason code of the occurred event |
buildDate | Appdome fusion date of the current application |
devicePlatform | OS name of the current device |
carrierName | Carrier name of the current device. Only available for Android. |
updatedOSVersion | Is the OS version up to date |
deviceBrand | Brand of the device |
deviceBoard | Board of the device |
buildUser | Build user |
buildHost | Build host |
sdkVersion | Sdk version |
timeZone | Time zone |
deviceFaceDown | Is the device face down |
locationLong | Location longitude conditioned by location permission |
locationLat | Location latitude conditioned by location permission |
locationState | Location state conditioned by location permission |
wifiSsid | Wifi SSID |
wifiSsidPermissionStatus | Wifi SSID permission status |
threatCode | The last six characters of the threat code specify the OS, allowing the Threat Resolution Center to address the attack on the affected device. |
With Threat-Events™ enabled (turned ON), Mobile developers can get detailed attack intelligence and granular defense control in Mobile applications and create amazing user experiences for all mobile end users when Fake GPS App is detected.
The following is a code sample for native Mobile apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Detect Fake GPS App:
Important! Replace all placeholder instances of <Context Key> with the specific name of your threat event context key across all language examples. This is crucial to ensure your code functions correctly with the intended event data. For example, The <Context Key> could be the message, externalID, OS Version, reason code, etc.
xxxxxxxxxx
IntentFilter intentFilter = new IntentFilter();
intentFilter.addAction("GeoLocationMockByAppDetected");
BroadcastReceiver threatEventReceiver = new BroadcastReceiver() {
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
String message = intent.getStringExtra("message"); // Message shown to the user
String reasonData = intent.getStringExtra("reasonData"); // Threat detection cause
String reasonCode = intent.getStringExtra("reasonCode"); // Event reason code
// Current threat event score
String currentThreatEventScore = intent.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore");
// Total threat events score
String threatEventsScore = intent.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore");
// Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// String variable = intent.getStringExtra("<Context Key>");
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
};
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.TIRAMISU) {
registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter, Context.RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED);
} else {
registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter);
}
Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Mobile Apps by using Detect Fake GPS App. There is no SDK and no library to code or implement in the app and no gateway to deploy in your network. All protections are built into each app and the resulting app is self-defending and self-protecting.
Releasing and Publishing Mobile Apps with Detect Fake GPS App
After successfully securing your app by using Appdome, there are several available options to complete your project, depending on your app lifecycle or workflow. These include:
- Customizing, Configuring & Branding Secure Mobile Apps.
- Deploying/Publishing Secure mobile apps to Public or Private app stores.
- Releasing Secured Android & iOS Apps built on Appdome.
Related Articles:
- How to Block Magisk Manager & Malicious Magisk Modules in Android Apps
- How to Block Frida Instrumentation Exploits in Android & iOS Apps
- How to detect OS Remount in Android
How Do I Learn More?
If you have any questions, please send them our way at support.appdome.com or via the chat window on the Appdome platform.
Thank you!
Thanks for visiting Appdome! Our mission is to secure every app on the planet by making mobile app security easy. We hope we’re living up to the mission with your project.