Why does Google show my IP address originating in a different country from the one Proton VPN lists?

Some users have reported having Google identify their internet connection as originating in a different country than where our server is located.

For example, if you are connected to one of our VPN servers in Malaysia, Google might identify your connection as originating in the United Arab Emirates.

This is not a bug with Proton VPN. There are no IP address leaks. This happens because Google determines its users’ location by cross-checking the location of where the IP address is with the geolocation data it has of devices that use that IP address. If Google detects a significant number of devices using that IP address are in a certain area, it will change the location it lists for that IP address.

In the example above, Google might show your location to be in the UAE when connected to one of our servers in Malaysia because that particular server is very popular with Emirati users.
We understand that this can be confusing, but if you go to a website that shows you where your IP address is based, like IP.me(new window), it will show you the IP address other websites actually see.

If you need Google to correctly recognize which country your server is in, we suggest you try connecting to a different Proton VPN server.

Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to resolve this issue. We must wait on Google to address it. We have raised the issue with them and are waiting for a response.

You can help us get Google to address this issue quicker by reporting it to them when you encounter it. You can report Google mistaken IP address locations here(new window).