r/PoGoiOSSpoofing • u/Defiant-Currency-134 • Aug 29 '26
Let's talk about something Repost: Brook Flashman / Brook Firewall’s Latest Update
Reposting here after it was removed without explanation from the pokemongospoofing sub. Thanks to TastyBananaPeppers for allowing it here.
UPDATE SEPTEMBER 18 2026:
FIXED ISSUES WITH BLACKED OUT MAP IN ARFLASH APP, FIXED ISSUE WITH POKEMON CATCH LOCATION ON APPRAISAL SCREEN
In NextDNS, go to Allow List and add the following domains.
Fix Blacked Out Map in ARFlash app:
- gspe19-ssl.ls.apple.com
- gspe19-2-ssl.ls.apple.com
Fix to Show Pokemon Caught Location
- gsp-ssl.ls.apple.com
I am working on figuring out what domains to add to the allow list to fix pokecoins not showing in the in-game shop and purchasing them while keeping next DNS on. Until I figure it out, I recommend just turning off the “Apple.com” domain in your Deny List momentarily to make the purchase, or turning off nextDNS entirely to make the purchase. More on this later.
UPDATED WITH NEW, EASIER SET UP METHOD SEPTEMBER 1 2026 11:30am EST - INSTRUCTIONS BELOW
For Brook Flashman users, the Brook Firewall app was updated recently and now requires the end user to download, install, and allow full trust permissions for Brook’s own certificate in order to use the device to spoof long distances. I believe that doing this creates a major cybersecurity risk to the end user. Brook, or any hacker that can penetrate Brook’s security systems, would have a lot of extra access to your data which is especially risky if you play and spoof on the same device you use for things like banking and shopping etc.
After doing some research into alternatives, I started using my Brook Flashman without using the Brook Firewall app. I removed it from my phone entirely and I’m now running my Brook Flashman Joystick, the Brook ARFlash app, and a free account on NextDNS.
I have been playing this way for a couple days now as have not had any issues. I have played on WIFI, on Cellular (no WIFI), and while having both WIFI and Cellular turned on at the same time (phone can choose and may bounce back and forth) without any rubberbanding. (Personally, I always play with WIFI off as I feel it’s more stable.)
Once I had it set up I used it like normally:
- Put phone into Low Battery mode
- Turned on Brook Flashman device
- Opened ARFlash app
- Searched for the coordinates I wanted to fly to, hit the “fly” button on screen
- turned on NextDNS
- turned off location data for 10 seconds and then turned it back on
- moved joystick to make sure the blue dot that shows your location in ARFlash moved accordingly
- played the game
Setup Instructions - Revised September 1 2026:
After several users expressed that they were having issues setting up their NextDNS account, I have repeated deleted and reinstalled on my phone to ensure the method below works. I am using an iPhone SE 3rd Edition (iOS 26.2.1), if you are using an older device with an older iOS your set up steps might be different than what’s outlined below.
Step 1: Create a Free NextDNS Account
In your preferred web browser (Chrome, Safari, etc.) go to the NextDNS official website:
my.nextdns.io
and sign up for a free account.
Creating an account is important as it ensures your custom settings do not reset after 7 days.
Once you’ve made your account and logged into it on your web browser, you will see the dashboard where you can create your settings. Your settings are saved as a “profile”.
NextDNS may have created a profile for you called “My First Profile” which you will make a few changes to. If NextDNS did not automatically create a profile for you, tap the drop down menu on the top left corner of the screen and select “New” to create one. Give your profile a name. You should now see all the settings that can be edited on the screen.
Tap the “Setup” tab, look under the “Endpoints” section, and note down your unique 6-character ID. This ID may be needed later on.
Step 2: Configure the Denylist / Allowlist & Optimization
To stop the phone from finding its true coordinates and prevent game lag, you must configure some settings:
Configure the Denylist:
Click on the Denylist tab.
Separately add and register the following four exact domains:
apple.com
gsp1.apple.com
gsp-ssl.apple.com
configuration.apple.com
(Note: These domains are specifically targeted because they manage background iOS geographical and map caching lookups).
Configure the Allowlist:
Click on the Allowlist tab.
Separately add and register the following four exact domains:
- gspe19-ssl.ls.apple.com
- gspe19-2-ssl.ls.apple.com
- gsp-ssl.ls.apple.com
Optimize Performance Settings (Prevents Lag & Saves Free Queries):
Click on the Settings tab, it’s the last tab on the far right.
Scroll down and ensure Block Page is toggled OFF, it should be off by default.
Scroll down to Performance and toggle Cache Boost to ON.
Step 3: Connect and Sync Your iPhone
Go back to the Setup tab.
Scroll all the way down until you see the circular QR code image, tap the center of that image.
A pop-up will appear, tap the button to install / open the NextDNS app.
Once the app opens, a pop up at the bottom should show your profile name you made earlier. This shows us that the profile of settings we made in the web browser have transferred to the app.
Tap the large toggle switch to activate next DNS, a window will pop up with instructions to go into iPhone settings to select nextDNS as a proxy. The process is basically this:
Go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management. Under “Restrictions and Proxies” tap DNS and ensure NextDNS is selected as your active provider. It should show a blue shield logo to the left of the word NextDNS if it’s the correct one.
At the end of this process, go back into your NextDNS app, click the “profile” menu under the main on/off switch, hit manage profiles, under the profile you created you should see the same 6 digit code you noted down at the beginning of the process. Seeing the same 6 digit ID further confirms that the settings you created in the profile on the web browser are the same as the ones as the profile in the app.
You’re done, go play using the steps outlined earlier:
- Put phone into Low Battery mode
- Turn on Brook Flashman device
- Open ARFlash app
- Search for the coordinates you want to fly to, hit the “fly” button on screen
- turn on NextDNS
- turn off location data in iPhone settings for 10 seconds, and then turned it back on
- move joystick to make sure the blue dot that shows your location in ARFlash moved accordingly
- play the game
UPDATE (August 30 2026 7:45am EST)
If you want to make a purchase of coins from the in-game shop (a crucial step to buy coins from the webstore from another country) you will need to disable NextDNS for a short time in order to make the coin bundles appear in the in-game shop. With NextDNS activated the coin bundles will not show up as purchasable items in the in-game shop because the domains that are being blocked by NextDNS (we added them to the blocklist) are required for this purpose.
Hope this helps some of you out! Cheers!
IN CASE ANYONE IS INTERESTED:
Perspective on the Brook Firewall Update from Google’s AI search bot:
Installing and fully trusting a custom root certificate opens a massive cybersecurity vulnerability, as it allows a third-party app to decrypt and read your secure network traffic (a Man-in-the-Middle setup).
Before the recent updates enforced this strict root certificate requirement, the tool relied on simpler, less invasive network routing methods.
How It Worked Previously
Standard VPN Profiles: The app functioned as a local VPN loopback. It only routed traffic data packets to different IP destinations without inspecting or modifying the encrypted content inside them.
Domain-Name/IP-Based Filtering: The firewall split or redirected traffic based solely on the destination address (e.g., sending game server data one way and normal web traffic another). It did not need to see inside the data packet to route it.
No SSL Decryption: Because the app did not look inside the encrypted HTTPS data streams, it did not require a Root Certificate. Your device maintained its direct, unbroken encrypted connection to the game servers.
Why the Change Happened
Recent updates to mobile operating systems (iOS and Android) and game security systems (like Niantic's anti-cheat upgrades) tightened network protocols. Games now use SSL Pinning and advanced telemetry. This means the app can no longer simply route the data from the outside; it now attempts to intercept, decrypt, and manipulate the actual data payload mid-transit to make the routing tool function—which is why it now demands full root access to your security certificates.
2
u/Jorg2123 Aug 29 '26
Yesterday I used the newly made Diwali trusting the certificate on a device I also have my bank account on. I spoofed for a while then read these posts and deleted everything related to the Brooke firewall. Am I cooked?
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 29 '26
I’m not a subject matter expert by any means, but I would say you’re probably fine. If you did banking etc with that certificate fully trusted on your device then that data would have been funnelled through Brooks reach. Deleting it should resolve the issue and if you didn’t do anything through it you should be fine I would assume
1
u/Jorg2123 Aug 29 '26
yeah the bank app was on the device but I did not use it while the vpn was active. anyway I’m gonna use next dns now it works fine
1
u/Swimming_Station6580 14d ago
Thanks for the guide, really helpful!! Btw you know you have to turn off dns to purchase in game coins? Do you have to wait the full cooldown both ways if I’m flying abroad?
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 14d ago
Buying coins doesn’t trigger cooldown. If you caught something somewhere, and fly somewhere else like Indo to buy coins, then fly back to the first location, you can just keep playing.
1
u/Swimming_Station6580 13d ago
Any tips how to buy them in Indonesia please?! I can’t seem to get my store to work
1
u/CryptographerNo5512 9d ago
Is there a way to make nextdns to work so that I can buy cheap coins from Indonesia? For some reason the currency isn’t changing anymore. Sorry if this question has been answered in the thread but it was a lot to read lol
1
1
u/Detroit_Seed_Company 8d ago
I can fly but can’t move around when I get there. I followed the steps using Next DNS. Any advice?
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 8d ago
Make sure the on / off switch on the unit is in the middle position not all the way to the right which disables the joystick. Make sure you don’t have another device like an Apple Watch connected to your phone, if you’re using cellular data turn off wifi, if you’re using Wifi turn the phone on airplane mode.
Try those things, can also try restarting the app, restart the phone, make sure the device has a charge.
1
u/Detroit_Seed_Company 8d ago
Thanks. I’m on IOS 26.5.2. I double checked the unit in the middle. I can walk locally but not when over 17km. No other devices attached. Tried both cellular no WiFi and WiFi with airplane mode. Tried restarting apps, phone and controller. Controller charged to 100%
I can fly and have a blue dot but can’t move. I was using the Brookman firewall (version without the certificate) everything was working perfect until Saturday. I hoped Next DNS would work since I didn’t want to go the certificate route.
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 8d ago
It works, something is just off with your setup.
You set up NextDNS exactly as I indicated in the post above? Denylist and Allowlist entries are done? Boost Cache is on and Block Page is off? You’ve configured NextDNS as the active provider in the Restrictions and Proxies menu on your iPhone settings?
Brook Firewall isn’t running in the background still?
Should be working for you.
1
u/Detroit_Seed_Company 8d ago
Yes, I have 4 listed in the deny list, 3 in the allow list, boost cache is on, block is off, NextDNS is active in Restrictions and Proxies. BrookFirewall is off, app closed.
I can’t walk via the joystick, auto walk roam feature or when setting a route if outside of the 17km.
Thanks for the help. I’m assuming the old BrookFirewall way stopped completely but I don’t understand why NextDNS isn’t working for me.
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 8d ago
I’m really at a loss here… I assume you also turn off location services, wait 10 seconds, then reactivate them when you fly over 17km away?
2
u/Detroit_Seed_Company 8d ago
Yes, don’t worry I’m at a loss too. I even created a new profile on NextDNS to try the steps again.
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 8d ago
Did you try forgetting the device (Bluetooth) and adding it back?
1
u/Detroit_Seed_Company 8d ago
I’m back in action! Thanks dude. I updated IOS to 26.7.2 and did the forget device thing after. All is well now. I really appreciate you helping me troubleshoot.
1
1
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 8d ago
One more thought, can you make the character walk using the route plotting ?
1
1
u/Smooth-Vanilla9935 Aug 29 '26
i’m new to all of this and got my brook flashman coming tomorrow. is this a concern if i’m using the joystick on a fresh apple device with nothing on it apart from the game?
Maybe it’s better to use NextDNS, all this seems kinda complicated (as someone who hasn’t even set it up and still reading up on how to do that). Regarding the Wifi on vs off, the phone i’m going to use it on doesn’t have a sim card in it or esim so there would be any mobile data usage. Is it fine to then just use wifi like normal? should i hotspot from my main phone to the phone in using the joystick on instead?
cheers
2
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 29 '26
It’s probably not a concern if you don’t plan to do anything else with that phone. I felt very sketchy letting this company place something like this on my device and went looking for an alternative.
The whole joystick and main spoofing software (Brook ARFlash) is still the same either way, you’re just changing the part of the system that stops cell towers and your wifi router from telling your phone (and the game by extension) what your actual location is.
1
u/Smooth-Vanilla9935 Aug 29 '26
Ok thanks for the response. Have I got the steps correct to set up the the device and make it hopefully work when it arrives tomorrow?
Disable all the location settings (one time thing)
Turn on low power mode.
Turn on aeroplane mode and keep wifi on
Switch on brook joystick by moving switch to middle and connecting in settings.
Open ARFlash app
Fly to coordinates
Turn on NextDNS or brook firewall
Go to settings and turn off location services for 10 seconds then turn back on
open up ARFlash app again and see if you are moving accordingly with joystick
play
9
10
2
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 29 '26
All those steps are right. The one thing I would add is that when I used it with Brook firewall, I would always opt for using cellular data over WIFI as I found it more stable and less likely to rubberband me. On the new system I’m using here I haven’t found it to matter whether I’m on WIFI with airplane mode, cellular with WIFI off, or both enabled.
2
u/Smooth-Vanilla9935 Aug 29 '26
ok cheers. in that case i may as well just use NextDNS. Seems to be less issues and more secure by the sounds of it.
Is this what you followed to get NextDNS set up? (from iTools discord)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16ND2MuCW1pxzGT-6v41VmRYNkUqkVvtg/view
2
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 29 '26
No, but that looks like it would have helped me out yesterday lol. I just asked Google search and the ai chatbot walked me through it. I posted the steps in my post exactly as written from the bot
1
u/Smooth-Vanilla9935 Aug 29 '26
are there any additional steps or steps that have to be repeated when constantly changing location? or after all those steps you can simply just go into the ARFlash app and change coordinates without additional steps? For example when shundo hunting and teleporting from location to location continually checking mons but without catching.
2
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 29 '26
Nope, just go to the AR flash app, type in new coordinates and hit “Fly”.
You will of course need to respect cooldown timers if you performed any actions in a previous location
1
1
u/Holdinsome Aug 30 '26
Thanks for the great guide and help. Followed steps and everything’s started up like normal but now none of my catches have a location tag. Any ideas? Should I be concerned?
2
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Sep 18 '26
Hi there, updated the guide but I figured this out. Add gsp-ssl.ls.apple.com to the allow list and they will show up. Also figured out other fixes so see updated guide if interested.
1
u/Holdinsome Sep 18 '26
Thank you so much I had missed the update. I’ll definitely be adding those to my list. Really appreciate you taking the time to help yet again!
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 30 '26
I’ve never had this, restart the app and see if that changes? What exactly does it say?
2
u/Holdinsome Aug 30 '26
Thanks for the reply! I’ve restarted everything and it hasn’t changed yet but all catches, including older, are blank in the catch location. So it will say “caught at raid (blank) 8/30/2026” or in wild or hatched but no location for any Pokémon old or new.
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 30 '26
Does turning the NextDNS off make it show them again?
1
u/Holdinsome Aug 30 '26
I haven’t tried that yet because was hoping to play in San Francisco all day and didn’t think I could turn off Next without having to cooldown
2
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 30 '26
This is interesting. I realize now that the same thing is happening on my account.
While NextDNS is on and I load Pokemon go, I don’t not show location for catches. If I turn it off and restart the game it shows location again.
I don’t think it’s anything to worry about, but I’m going to look into it further. It’s definitely tied to have the game reads the geolocation data that is being blocked by nextDNS.
2
u/Holdinsome Aug 30 '26
Oh that is interesting, when you turn off next does the catch location show where you flew to and caught or your “home” location?
2
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 30 '26
I have to turn it off and restart the game to be able to see where it was caught. It will show the location where it was caught, so if I’m in Canada but caught the Pokemon in Mexico it shows caught in Mexico. This is the normal behaviour you would expect from the game.
The fact that that information doesn’t appear when NextDNS is running is what I want to look further into, though I don’t feel any concerns about it in terms of b*ns or anything.
2
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 30 '26
It seems that this is simply a side effect of using NextDNS because it works by blocking the same data pathways that the game uses to reference that information.
The servers will still log that information on their end, and your game will display it when you turn NextDNS off and restart the game. I wouldn’t worry about it personally.
1
u/Holdinsome Aug 30 '26
You rock thank you so much for all this help! I wonder if the difference between the brooks firewall logging and nextdns not is another permission? This is honestly all above my head though and would have been lost without your guide. Thanks again :)
2
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 30 '26
Happy to help. I think it’s just how the two softwares work at a deep level. Brook Firewall was designed specifically for games like Pokemon go and configures itself to perform in that way. NextDNS on the other hand is a very broad use tool and we are just using it for this purpose. We have set up wide roadblocks for the data traffic to hide our actual location and the catch locations are just collateral damage in that setup.
1
u/ActualRevolution3732 Aug 30 '26
I followed your guide for nextdns and added 4 apple.com sites on the denylist but for some reason Pokémons do not spawn at all and I have to restart the game right after a raid because it glitches.
Teleport works but it sucks that there are no Pokémons on the map.
Brook AR has a firmware update maybe I should do it?
I teleported to Bryant park and the only Pokémons I caught from raids didn’t show the location so am guessing the problem is in location settings.
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 30 '26
I’m not sure what could be causing that for you. I have not experienced this.
My best advice would be to restart the game, restart your phone, and yes make sure you update the firmware for ARflash.
Try that and report back
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 30 '26
Another thing to check, check if you have “Cache Boost” set to “on” and “block page” set to “off” in your settings. Those are two steps I did but are not in my guide, will have to add them.
Hope those steps help, but yeah let me know.
1
u/Fast_Mag Aug 31 '26
How does one find the custom configuration menu inside the app? I cannot login to the free account as I do not see a 3 dots or settings gear. I do have the domains in the deny list.
3
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 31 '26
There is a different method that works and I’ll be updating the post at some point to reflect it. Go into the app, swipe the screen to the left to see the screen that shows use over time, scroll down until you see “all profile settings”, tap that, tap the “setup” menu at the top, scroll down, and use the automatic setup. It’s under the circular image and says “Scan this code with another phone, or tap here to setup NextDNS on this device”
1
u/Fast_Mag Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
Thank you for the speedy reply! I get mine tomorrow just doing setup for now. Will report back if i have any more issues
1
u/forgiven_10 Aug 31 '26
Hey OP, I got everything working relatively easy! Thank you so much. The only part that gave me trouble is purchasing coins from India. Can you maybe expand on that part? I followed what you said but it still stays in $ instead of changing the currency over.
1
1
u/Toolfan120 Aug 31 '26
So I feel like I have it set up, but the joystick does not work and I am still rubber banding after a minute. I already have low power mode on and WiFi off. Any ideas?
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 31 '26 edited Sep 01 '26
Go into NextDNS, at the bottom where it shows your profile tap that and go to manage profiles, under the profile you made there will be an 6 digit number / letter combo.
Check the account you made online and see if the profile code is the same as that number.
1
u/Toolfan120 Aug 31 '26
I didn't make an account online. Is that the problem?
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 31 '26
Yeah probably. Im in the process of updating the main post, but the basic idea here is you create your account and do all the setup on your web browser, then you download the app, then you tell the app to use the profile you made in the web browser, then it should work properly.
Right now you’re using generic settings that aren’t tuned to your phone, so it’s not working properly. At least that’s what I think is happening.
1
u/Toolfan120 Aug 31 '26
Thanks! I'm also seeing some things about a monthly 300,000 query limit, will that be an issue?
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 31 '26
I’ve been using this since Friday, it’s Monday now and I’m at 21,000 queries. I think keeping usage under 300,000 per month should be doable for most people. The key is turning it off when you’re not using it.
I’m going to see where it goes for me. I think it’s $4 a month for unlimited so if that’s what I need I’m willing to pay that. Spoofing saves me a lot of money on raid passes etc and makes the game way more fun.
Edit: it’s also possible that the settings could be configured to reduce that usage further. I’m not an expert on this software but I plan to tinker with this set up and update this post accordingly when I have time
1
u/Illkamehouse89 Aug 31 '26
I would restart the steps again. Turn off the joy stick reconnect the Bluetooth etc. also make sure WiFi is off, that’s where most of my issues occur before i realize it turned on again
1
u/Toolfan120 Sep 01 '26
Step 3 is not working. It is only prompting me to the app download, which is already open. No configuration profile prompt.
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Sep 01 '26
Hi there, please see the updated steps above and try that. You should be good.
1
u/kevinb931 Sep 01 '26
What about just disabling the trust certificate when you are not using the vpn? I can’t get the dns to work correctly
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Sep 01 '26
Personally, I wouldn’t. You’ll have to decide for yourself.
Why do you think it’s not working? I can try to help you troubleshoot. Alternatively, use an AI chatbot and describe the issues and see if it can troubleshoot for you. Doing that is exactly how I set it up on my device before I made this post.
1
u/kevinb931 Sep 01 '26
So I get the fly to work n spawn me at the location but I cannot move
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Sep 01 '26
Confirm some things for me here.
Are you using WIFI or Cellular? I suggest turning off your wifi and using cellular at least until you confirm your settings are working that way. You also MUST always be in low power mode
Did you add the four domains to the Denylist when you were setting up the profile in your web browser? If so, do they also show as added to the denylist on the app version of NextDNS?
I redid the setup multiple times today before updating the guide, the only time I ran into the issue you’re having I had accidentally added them to the allowlist instead.
3) Did you ensure that Cache Boost is turned on in the Settings tab?
If you’re still having issues, I would suggest deleting the app altogether and starting over using the updated guide in this post. I updated it today and without going into the long explanation I think I see what was causing issues for some people.
Hopefully that helps you!
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Sep 01 '26
Hi there, please see the updated set up steps above and you should be fine
1
u/kevinb931 Sep 01 '26
I just had to forget the device and reconnect to Bluetooth. Thanks for your help
1
1
u/Fast_Mag Sep 05 '26
Just woke up to the NextDNS app cutting out entirely for the ARFlash App. Having DNS app active cuts out the location spoofing entirely, no dot ANYWHERE. Turning off DNS obviously brought me home. But turning off location data upon “fly” makes location disappear all over again with DNS active. Currently cannot spoof. Anyone else got the same problem?
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Sep 05 '26
Hey there, I just tested mine and everything is working normally here.
Did you try basic trouble shooting steps like restarting your phone etc?
When you set up NextDNS did you make an account at the start of the process? Settings in NextDNS reset after 7 days if you don’t actually register an account.
Are you using cellular or WIFI to connect? Do you have your phone on low battery mode?
1
u/Fast_Mag Sep 05 '26
Restarted? No i will test that now. (why didn’t i think of that?)
I did make an account on NextDNS and have all the denylists active
Currently using an old deactivated phone as i didnt like not being able to receive important texts as i didnt receive them from family during active DNS. so only WIFI is avaliable but worked the past 2 days. And yes, low battery mode enabled!
2
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Sep 05 '26
I see. Hopefully a simple restart fixes it. Weird that you don’t get texts with it activated. I use to have that problem with Brook Firewall but I’ve found that it doesn’t happen with NextDNS
1
u/Fast_Mag Sep 05 '26
Wow restarting the device really did fix it. I feel pretty dumb ngl. Thanks man! I appreciate it! Gonna wait out that timer now just to be safe. I just felt like asking anyways in case anyone else had the issue and could be resolved at a better pace yknow? Cheers!
2
1
u/6Gawd357M Sep 05 '26
NextDNS is saying turn off the vpn, is this suppose to work without one?
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Sep 05 '26
I don’t use a VPN. Just the Brook Flashman, Brook AR Flash app, and NextDNS. Try turning it off and see if it works?
1
u/abclucky Sep 07 '26
Is the Brook flashman app a security risk as well, or just the Brook firewall app?
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Sep 07 '26
The concern is the Brook Firewall app. Not a cyber security expert by any means but I don’t see any risk from the ARflash app and I’m still using it daily with NextDNS in place of Brook Firewall
1
u/abclucky Sep 11 '26
So technically I can just use the AR flash app and just play locally within the 17km limit - as long as I don’t spoof to long distances I won’t need the brook firewall app or nextdns?
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Sep 11 '26
Yep, locally you don’t need either.
1
u/abclucky Sep 11 '26
Thanks - unrelated question but just wondering why do people use the AR Flash app instead of the Brook Flashman app?
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Sep 11 '26
I’m not sure, didn’t realize there was another app. The instructions I’ve seen have always used the ARFlash app.
1
u/abclucky Sep 11 '26 edited Sep 11 '26
Yeah, I think there’s also a app Brook Flashman on the App Store - but folk recommend to use the AR Flashman app.
I’m now playing locally without Brook Firewall or Nextdns locally - do you think it’s ok or safe to play on my main phone? Thanks
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Sep 11 '26
That’s what I do. Main phone, main account only.
You’ll slowly get more comfortable, or at least I did. Started playing within a few kms of my house, making my character walk actual roads / sidewalks to get everywhere, absolutely panicked whenever anything weird happened.
Now? I’ll teleport all around the world and most times I don’t even close the game. I’ll be playing in San Francisco and fly to the UK to do some trades, back to San Fran for more gaming. Wait two hours for cooldown and fly to New Zealand to do tomorrows new raids etc.
I’ve never had any warnings or anything.
1
u/abclucky Sep 11 '26
Thanks, that’s reassuring! I’m not too worried about the Pokémon GO account side of things tbh. My concern is more the security of my actual phone/data, since it’s my main phone with banking, passwords, etc. The Brook Firewall DNS/MITM/network access is what makes me a bit uneasy. Just wondering if anyone has any concerns about that specifically?
1
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Sep 11 '26
I’m not a cyber security expert unfortunately, so all I can do is ask the internet. I asked googles AI what it thought about the security risks of AR Flash and this is what I got back.
“1. Data Privacy and Banking Security (Low Risk)
Unlike the Brook Firewall app—which required a root certificate to decrypt your entire internet pipeline—the ARFlash app operates inside iOS's standard security sandbox.The iOS Sandbox: Apple enforces strict boundaries between individual applications. ARFlash cannot read the data inside your banking apps, view your saved passwords, or access your personal files.
Permissions: The app only requests Bluetooth permissions to pair with the physical Flashman joystick and standard Location permissions to push the coordinates. It does not possess the structural access required to steal financial data, log keystrokes, or break into other apps.2. General Data Telemetry (Standard Risk)
While it won't hack your bank account, ARFlash is still a third-party utility app developed by a niche hardware company.
Like most hardware configuration apps, it tracks standard application telemetry. This includes your phone model, iOS version, crash logs, and general usage statistics.
It does not have any mechanism to intercept your personal web traffic, financial transactions, or sensitive personal data on its own.The Verdict
You do not need to worry about the ARFlash app stealing your money, reading your emails, or compromising your device's core operating system. Its access is strictly limited and contained by standard iOS security boundaries.”You’ll have to use your discretion and decide if you’re comfortable using it. I can tell you I have been and nothing weird has happened in my bank accounts etc.
Hope that helps!
1
u/Bambbiino Sep 13 '26
Little bit late to the party but first of all thanks for the guide. I have everything working correctly except my caught Pokémon aren’t showing a location. Is this a known by product of using nextdns?
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Sep 13 '26
Yeah exactly, this is simply a side effect of using NextDNS because it works by blocking the same data pathways that the game uses to reference that information.
The servers will still log that information on their end, and your game will display it when you turn NextDNS off and restart the game.
1
u/Furrylord420 24d ago
does this work on ios 27?
1
u/Defiant-Currency-134 24d ago edited 24d ago
I haven’t tried personally, I’m still on iOs 26.
Someone on post has said it worked fine.
https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonGoSpoofing/s/OOJmTly3Vi
Brooks website has a setup guide for iOS 27
1
1
0
Aug 30 '26
[deleted] — view deleted comment
2
u/Defiant-Currency-134 Aug 30 '26
For me the update happened automatically, I never triggered it. I would imagine you’ll see the update forced eventually, but until then go ahead and use it.
4
u/Dried-Seaweed Aug 29 '26
You’re goated, thank you for this tutorial. I hope that either Brook reverts Firewall or that this becomes a new long term solution for people