I keep getting Google's "our systems have detected unusual traffic" verification page when searching through Safari on my iPhone. I've restarted and reconnected the router, confirmed that I'm not using a VPN or iCloud Private Relay, cleared Safari's history and website data, and updated iOS, but the problem continues. It only happens on my home Wi‑Fi, which is shared with three other people; searches work normally when I use mobile data. Has anyone figured out what causes this or how to stop it?
2 Answers
This may be related to the shared public IP address assigned to your Wi‑Fi connection. If several people are using the same connection, Google may interpret the combined searches as unusual activity or the IP may already have been flagged. It doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with your phone or that you have malware.
Others have run into similar behavior even on new devices and different networks, so it may also be an overly sensitive change on Google’s side. Running a security scan and checking the router is reasonable, but the fact that it disappears on mobile data points more toward the Wi‑Fi connection or its IP address than Safari itself.
I’ve noticed similar patterns: it may not appear on 5G or in a private tab, but can return after closing a tab and starting a new search over Wi‑Fi. That makes it feel more like a network or IP reputation issue than a problem with one particular search.
That seems possible. The verification appeared occasionally before, but now it’s happening almost every time over Wi‑Fi, even after completing the CAPTCHA.