I am repeatedly encountering the error: "Failed to assign a backend. Sorry, we were unable to connect to your backend. This may be due to a restriction in your location." I am accessing Google Colab from India, which is not a restricted region. This appears to be a false positive identification of my IP address or region.
Steps to Reproduce:
Open any notebook in Google Colab.
Click "Connect" or run any cell.
The popup "Failed to assign a backend" appears immediately.
Troubleshooting already tried:
VPN: I am not using a VPN.
Network: Switched to a Mobile Hotspot (ISP: [Add your ISP name here, e.g., Jio/Airtel]), but the issue persists.
Incognito Mode: Tested in Chrome Incognito; still fails.
Runtime Change: Attempted to switch to T4 GPU and Standard CPU; both fail.
Account Settings: Verified Google Account address is correctly set to India.
Expected Behavior:
The runtime should connect successfully as India is a supported region for Google Colab.
Additional Context:
Location: Kolkata,West Bengal, India
Browser: Chrome
Date: April 6, 2026
I am repeatedly encountering the error: "Failed to assign a backend. Sorry, we were unable to connect to your backend. This may be due to a restriction in your location." I am accessing Google Colab from India, which is not a restricted region. This appears to be a false positive identification of my IP address or region.
Steps to Reproduce:
Open any notebook in Google Colab.
Click "Connect" or run any cell.
The popup "Failed to assign a backend" appears immediately.
Troubleshooting already tried:
VPN: I am not using a VPN.
Network: Switched to a Mobile Hotspot (ISP: [Add your ISP name here, e.g., Jio/Airtel]), but the issue persists.
Incognito Mode: Tested in Chrome Incognito; still fails.
Runtime Change: Attempted to switch to T4 GPU and Standard CPU; both fail.
Account Settings: Verified Google Account address is correctly set to India.
Expected Behavior:
The runtime should connect successfully as India is a supported region for Google Colab.
Additional Context:
Location: Kolkata,West Bengal, India
Browser: Chrome
Date: April 6, 2026