I keep getting Google's "Our systems have detected unusual traffic" page and the "I'm not a robot" check when searching through Safari on my iPhone. I've restarted the router, confirmed that I'm not using a VPN or iCloud Private Relay, cleared Safari's history and website data, and installed the latest phone update, but the problem continues. It only happens when I'm connected to Wi‑Fi, not when I use mobile data. The Wi‑Fi network is shared with three other people. Has anyone else dealt with this, and what fixed it?
3 Answers
This is probably tied to the public IP address assigned to your shared Wi‑Fi rather than something wrong with your iPhone. If several people are using the same connection, Google may see a high volume of searches from that IP and flag it as suspicious. Checking whether the IP has been flagged, then rebooting the modem or waiting for the ISP to assign a new address, may help.
The behavior can vary depending on the browsing session. Some users only see the warning after closing a tab or starting a new search, while searches in an existing tab or searches over cellular data work normally. That pattern still points more toward Google temporarily flagging the Wi‑Fi address than toward a problem with Safari itself.
Other people have been seeing this even on brand-new devices and different networks, so it isn’t always caused by malware or a browser setting. Still, running a security scan and checking the router for unknown devices is sensible. If everything looks clean, completing the CAPTCHA or contacting the internet provider about the shared IP is probably the best next step.
That would explain why it only happens on Wi‑Fi. The CAPTCHA worked briefly yesterday, but the warning started appearing constantly today.