Mobile Proxies - A Simple Guide of What You Should Know

Do you want to protect your online browsing? Perhaps you want to access restricted content? Discover how mobile proxies can help you achieve this.

11:30 04 March 2024

Although proxies have been around for a long time, they’ve only really gained popularity in the last decade or so. However, this led to the development of a number of new types of proxies. These new proxies are suited to different use cases and situations. Among them are mobile proxies. The need for proxies specific to mobile devices came about as the use of smartphones surged. These days, people spend more time on their smartphones than anywhere else. So, it makes sense to protect and improve how you use the internet on these devices.

In this article, we take a look at mobile proxies that sometimes are referred to as 4G proxies, like the ones provided by Smartproxy, and what makes them different from other types. We’ll also consider the benefits of using these proxies and the different situations or activities they can improve.

What is a Mobile Proxy?

A mobile proxy acts as an intermediary server between your smartphone (or any sim-related device) and the internet. Instead of connecting straight to the internet via a cellphone tower, you’ll connect to the proxy first, and all of your internet traffic will be routed through this server. In the process, your mobile IP, which your cell provider provides, will be changed to a different one.

This helps to keep your online activities private while adding a layer of security to your connection. It also enables you to overcome a number of other restrictions and challenges you might face as a business or even an individual.

What Makes Mobile Proxies Different?

While most proxies share the same basic principle, i.e., rerouting your traffic and hiding your IP, they do so in different ways. 4G proxies share many similarities to residential ones. For one, they both assign real IPs rather than generated ones. However, there are also a number of differences. A mobile proxy doesn’t assign regular IPs that you get from an ISP. Instead, they give you a mobile IP that mobile operators provide. 

Another marked difference is that mobile proxies share the mobile IPs, so they aren’t unique to your connection. This makes them even more anonymous than their other counterparts. At any given time, someone who connects to the internet via mobile data could be using the mobile IP you had in your previous session. Mobile IPs are assigned per connection based on what’s available.

Why Should You Use Mobile Proxies?

Now that you understand what mobile proxies are, you might be thinking why you’d need one or what you’d use it for. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits and uses of these proxies.

Improving Online Security

Mobile proxies can improve your online security by hiding your IP and assigning a new one. While this is true of most proxies, 4G proxies offer even more protection because they don’t assign unique IPs to your connection. This means that even if someone tracks the IP, they’ll get so many varying results that it would be inconclusive.

Improving your online security through a proxy is essential if you value your privacy. Websites and hackers can use your IP to collect your data, monitor the websites you visit, how long you spend on each site, and more. If you want your online activities to be private, you need to use a tool like a mobile proxy.

Bypassing Geo-Restrictions

Geo-restrictions can be very annoying, especially when conducting research, streaming movies, or looking for the best deals. Geo-restrictions limit access to content in other countries and are in place for different reasons. It could be because of copyright and licensing issues or government-related.

By using a mobile proxy, you can unblock these restrictions and access information, deals, and markets in other countries. This means you’ll be able to stream movies or series only available in other countries. You’ll also be able to join game servers in other countries closer to the main servers. You’ll also be able to find the best deals on products and do thorough market research before expanding your business.

Managing Multiple Accounts

Many businesses and even influencers utilize multiple social media accounts on the same platform. This can be to highlight different departments of your business to make marketing more effective. Or it could be to differentiate between personal and business accounts. However, social media platforms don’t like it when more than a handful of accounts are created from the same IP and will issue IP bans when this happens.

Using a mobile proxy makes it possible to get a new IP every time you connect. This means you can more easily create and manage multiple accounts without getting a ban. This is essential for anyone who uses multiple social media accounts, including digital marketing agencies, content creators, and influencers.

Ad Verification

If you run a business that relies on digital ads, then ad verification is an essential process. Unfortunately, ad fraud is becoming more commonplace than ever before. Scammers use various methods to defraud your ads and earn money while your business gets nothing.

Ad fraud is difficult to detect, and one of the best ways is to monitor your ads to ensure they appear and function as they should. However, this can be difficult, especially if the ad is placed in another market. A mobile proxy makes verifying your ads easier as you can choose an IP in the location where you need to check your ads. Now, you’ll be able to see them like your potential clients do.

Final Thoughts

Mobile proxies are a specialized type of proxy with many benefits and uses. Not only do these proxies protect your online anonymity, but they also offer better online security. You can also use these proxies to improve your browsing experience, bypass geo-restrictions, and more.