While Meta Verified is currently officially available only in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, there is significant interest from users in other countries to access this service. Some users have reportedly found ways to access Meta Verified outside of these regions. Many people claimed they would use a VPN to change their account location but in fact, it didn’t work.
In the past 30 days, we have tried several different methods to get our Instagram account verified with Meta Verified using a VPN. Many of them didn’t work, but finally, we found a fully working method.
Today, I am going to show you how to use the Meta Verified VPN method to get Meta Verified outside of the US, Australia, UK, and New Zealand. But let us start with this:
What is Meta Verified?
Meta Verified is a subscription service that helps users establish their presence on Instagram and Facebook. It includes various features that may vary by region, such as:
Verification: Users can get a verified badge, which uses a verification process with a government ID and, where available, a selfie video to securely establish an account’s authenticity.
Proactive account protection: The service provides protection from impersonation with proactive account monitoring and secure two-factor authentication.
Exclusive features: Users gain access to exclusive stickers on Facebook and Instagram Stories and Facebook Reels, along with 100 Stars a month on Facebook to show support for other creators.
Direct account support: The service provides access to direct account support, which means users can get help from a real person on common account issues that matter to them1.
Increased reach: Currently Meta deactivated this feature. Usually, they would give subscribers an increased reach. If they will activate this feature, later on, is unknown.
Officially, Meta Verified is currently (June 2023) available in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, for people 18 years or older. It is not yet available in all places or for businesses. If Meta Verified is not available in your region, you can sign up to get notified when it becomes available.
Getting the Instagram Verification Badge
One of the major draws of Meta Verified is the coveted blue checkmark, a verification badge that signals an account’s authenticity.
The blue checkmark has gained significant popularity because it carries a level of prestige. Originally, this badge was reserved for celebrities, public figures, and brands, indicating that the account was the “official” presence of the entity it represented. The checkmark is a symbol of credibility and legitimacy, as it confirms that the account is not a fake or a fan-made profile. As social media platforms have grown, so too has the desire for this badge, as it can enhance an account’s visibility and trustworthiness. For influencers and content creators, having a verified account can help in growing their audience and increasing their reach. Of course, it also became a status symbol.
Fakes, Scams, and Frauds for the Instagram Verification Badge
The blue Instagram verification badge has unfortunately become a target for scams, frauds, and counterfeits due to its high demand and perceived prestige. Scammers often target individuals and businesses eager to gain the badge, promising them a verified status for a hefty fee. These scams can take many forms, from direct messages offering verification services to sophisticated phishing schemes designed to steal account credentials. There have been numerous reports of individuals and businesses spending thousands of dollars on these fraudulent services, only to find out they’ve been duped. This not only results in a significant financial loss but can also compromise the security of their Instagram accounts.
Usually, people would DM others on Instagram promising them to get the blue verification badge, but very often it turned out to be a scam. Actually, there were a few legit methods to get the Instagram blue badge, but they were quite costly. People had to spend thousands of dollars on PR (featured articles, Wikipedia articles, building a brand, and so on).
Meta Verified is also subject to these scams. On YouTube, you will find many videos telling you to contact a certain person. Don’t do it. Don’t fall for it. These people have no clue what they are talking about. They are just trying to scam you. They want to steal your Instagram account or they want to get money from you. Believe me, it is not a smart idea to deal with them. But guess what? I will show you a fully working Meta Verified VPN method, so you won’t need to watch these scammers anymore.
Don’t pay anyone for this. Do it yourself.
Full Working Meta Verified VPN Method June 2023
Before I start, let me tell you this: I have tried many different methods and VPNs. At some point, I didn’t really care about getting verified on Instagram anymore, it was more like a challenge to trick Meta. Why? Because in early March 2023, they made an update that made it quite difficult to actually change the account location.
What is not working?
Of course, I searched for full working methods to get Meta Verified outside of the US, Australia, and New Zealand by myself. Most of them were saying stuff like: “Download a VPN, change your location to Australia/USA/New Zealand for the next 10 days, and use Instagram. Follow and interact with accounts in this location. Post pictures and tag this location, etc.”
This won’t work. It is a little bit more complicated than that. Here is what works:
Get Meta Verified Outside USA, Australia, UK, and New Zealand
Here is what I did to change my account location on my iPhone and successfully subscribed to Meta Verified while being located in Thailand. I changed my account location to the United States.
What you will need:
- Second phone
- Software/app to spoof your location/GPS
- 4G Mobile Proxy (can rotate or be static)
- Patience
Setup your phone
- Deinstall Instagram/Facebook
- Change your phone’s primary language to English
- Change your timezone to the US (if possible to the city/timezone of your proxy location)
- Remove the sim card
- Deinstall all apps except Instagram/Facebook
- Spoof your location/GPS all the time
- Connect to the 4G Mobile Proxy all the time
- Reinstall Instagram/Facebook
- Login and wait
Why change language and timezone?
The apps do get information about your phone’s settings, including your timezone, phone language, and so on. Changing the language and timezone can be helpful. I mean, if your IP and GPS are in the US, why should the timezone of your phone be in Europe or Asia? It is a red flag. Change it.
Why deinstall all the apps?
Every app which has the Meta/Facebook SDK integrated into their app (and this is almost all of the apps) will send your information to Meta for marketing purposes. For example for ads, retargeting, in-app events, and other reasons. This means, even if you only use the VPN/Proxy for Instagram or Facebook, they will still see your real location through the other apps. Since this is your second phone, simply delete all the apps except Instagram or Facebook.
Why remove the sim card?
Do not put any sim card in your phone. Why? Because one way to recognize your location is by your sim card/mobile network provider. Even if you have a different IP (using a regular VPN like NordVPN), they will still be able to see what sim card/mobile network provider you are using…and this is how they will know where you really are. If you are in Japan, they will see you are using Softbank. If you are in Germany, they will see you are using Vodafone DE. If you are in Thailand they will see you are using DTAC or TrueMove. Remove the sim card.
Probably the easiest way to spoof your location on an iPhone.
Spoof your location / GPS
Spoofing (or better to say changing your location) can be difficult on iOS, but there is a very good way to do it. I used the software “iMyFone AnyTo“. It doesn’t require any jailbreak or root…and yes, it is really working. Usually, I am not a fan of downloading software and connecting it to my phone, but this one gets the job done. They also have a free trial, so just give it a try by yourself. From what I know it also works on Android. For Android, it is easier. There are many apps on the Google Play Store. Don’t ask me which one works best for Android, I am only using iOS.
4G Mobile Proxy
This is probably the most important part. Don’t just use a random VPN or a popular and well-known VPN like NordVPN or ExpressVPN. Why? Because everyone is using them. Facebook/Meta knows about their IP very well. They know you are using these VPNs. It has to be a little bit more sophisticated than that.
First I tried a private residential IP address from the US. Connected to it for 16 days, but it didn’t work. My guess is because I used my main phone and my sim card was inserted. But don’t take my word for it.
I bought a 4G Mobile Proxy from SmartProxy and it worked perfectly fine. I connected to the proxy through an app called Shadowrocket. It is a paid app, but I think there are also some free alternatives.
My settings for the 4G Mobile Proxy were as followed:
- USA
- AT&T provider
- 30 minutes (sticky)
- iOS
You can set up your proxy on SmartProxy.
On SmartProxy you can set up your connection as you want, choosing different locations and providers. If you have any questions on how to connect or how to set it up, you can chat with their support.
Keep in mind: If you connect the Proxy directly through your Wifi settings on your phone, it will only work for browsers, not for apps. You have to connect it through an app like Shadowrocket.
Then, you can visit a website like Whatismyipaddress.com to check your IP and location, to see if it worked.
Activate the 4G mobile proxy and visit Whatismyipaddress.com to see if it working.
So what did I do exactly?
- I was using my second phone (iPhone 7) and just kept it in my home, connected to the Wifi in my home.
- I used iMyFone AnyTo to spoof the location of the United States
- This iPhone 7 was connected to the 4G Mobile Proxy all the time
At this point, the following happened: My whole phone faked its location in the United States. IP, GPS, etc.
- I downloaded Instagram, logged in to my account that I wanted Meta Verified for, and followed a couple of accounts from the city I spoofed my GPS and that’s it.
- Around two times per day, I would take my second phone, check Instagram (to see if the Meta Verified option shows up) and would give some likes, watch stories and reply to some messages. Just normal user behavior.
To see where Instagram/Meta thinks you are, you can navigate to your profile -> settings and privacy -> accounts center -> password and security -> where you’re logged in -> press on Instagram or Facebook -> check your location.
I tried this method for two accounts and for both accounts, it took 7 days (!) until the Meta Verified option was showing up.
Important: Your account location will change, even if IG keeps showing you your original location. It seems like they change it internally first and after a few days, the new location will show up on your phone. This means: Even if Meta/Instagram already changed your location to the US, it still shows your original location for a couple of days. Don’t get confused. After 7 days, you will see this new option in your profile settings when you reopen the Instagram app:
Press on the Meta Verified option, pay, and make sure you are having:
- a profile picture which is clearly showing your face
- you have 2FA (Two-Step Authentication) activated
- you are using your real name (!)
- uploading an accurate picture of your ID/passport or driver’s license.
The review will take up to 48 hours. For me, it took less than one hour until I got the blue checkmark.
I rarely use Facebook. So don’t wonder if it is not available. In fact, I didn’t use Facebook for the past 6 months.
And here is what it looks like:
After verification, I checked it from my main phone. The account location was still Thailand tho.
TL;DR – Step-by-Step Tutorial:
- Get yourself a second phone
- Remove the sim card
- Change your timezone and language
- Deinstall all apps
- Connect it to the Wifi of your home all the time (to keep a stable internet connection)
- Spoof your location / GPS using iMyFone AnyTo or any other app
- Use a 4G mobile proxy (make sure it is turned on all the time)
- Download Instagram and login to your account
- Casually use IG. Once or twice per day for a couple of minutes
- Wait for 7 days
- The Meta Verified option will show up on your profile settings
How did I find out the full working Meta Verified VPN method?
I am an app developer myself. I know very well what metadata they are collecting, how they are collecting all the data, and so on. So, I was just trying a bunch of different things of what I thought will work. I didn’t know they will make it so difficult. I mean, hey, after all, they will earn money from Meta Verified anyway. It is not like you are getting anything for free. I think the main reason why they actually make it so difficult to change the account location is because of their responsibility toward advertisers. If everyone could change their account location within a day, a lot of targeted ads would be shown to the wrong group of people.
Note
It’s important to note that a single Meta Verified subscription cannot be used on both Instagram and Facebook. To use Meta Verified on both platforms, you must subscribe to each app separately. The subscription fee for Meta Verified is $14.99 USD/month for iOS/Android or $11.99 USD/month on the web (Facebook only)1.
Any questions? Write a comment.
