IP rotation: when to change address and when not to

On a mobile proxy the IP isn't picked from a list: the carrier assigns it to the phone when it connects. Rotating means disconnecting and reconnecting the phone, which then gets a new address from the carrier's pool. It usually takes 10–30 seconds, during which the proxy doesn't respond.

The new IP is from the same carrier and area, so your apparent location stays consistent. You may occasionally get an IP you've had before, because the carrier's pool isn't infinite; that's normal and happens to real users too (see CGNAT).

Simple rule: if there's a login involved, the IP stays put while the session is open. Real users don't change address between clicks while filling in a form or paying.

There's no single right number. Some practical reference points:

• Account management: rotate between sessions, with the profile closed. For many accounts one change per session is enough.
• Ad or search verification: a fresh IP for each check, so results aren't personalised from the previous visit.
• Data collection: rotate at fixed intervals (say every 5–15 minutes) or when a site starts rate-limiting. But first, slow down: too many requests per second stand out on any IP.

• “Rotate IP” button on the proxy page in the client area: handy for manual use.
• Rotation link: a private URL you can open in a browser or call from your scripts. Keep it secret — anyone who has it can change your IP.
• Automatic rotation: pick an interval and the phone changes IP on its own.

Here's how to call the rotation link from a script and wait for the proxy to be ready again:

curl -s "ROTATION_LINK"
sleep 30
curl -x http://USER:PASSWORD@HOST:PORT https://api.ipify.org

• Rotating during a login or payment: the session breaks and the IP change looks suspicious.
• Rotating on every request thinking it makes you invisible: your request pattern is still a bot's.
• Forgetting the proxy doesn't respond during the change: add a wait or retry in your scripts.
• Using the same browser profile with IPs in different countries: timezone and language give the inconsistency away. Check everything with how to test a proxy.