403 Forbidden or User location is not supported: Ultimate Troubleshooting Guide
Just called the API and got a region-not-supported message? This deep dive explains the Google API gateway’s millisecond-level checks on outbound IP location and provides a complete troubleshooting guide using cloud functions, overseas reverse proxies, and network configuration.
1. Direct Cause of the Error
When you see User location is not supported for the API use, it means the IP address of the client making the request is identified as being located in mainland China or another unsupported region.
2. Three Thorough Solutions
1. Option 1: Configure global proxy environment variables for your local development environment (make sure the proxy uses native US or Japan nodes);
2. Option 2: Use Cloudflare Workers to deploy a dedicated edge reverse proxy address for free (highly recommended; direct connections from servers in mainland China work without issue);
3. Option 3: Deploy your business backend directly to an overseas VPS that does not require ICP filing, or to a Vercel / AWS container.