Manchester-based web data infrastructure platform Byteful (formerly Ping Proxies) has added operating system targeting to its residential and mobile proxies, letting customers choose whether their traffic is routed through a device running Windows, Linux or Android.
Founded in 2020 out of Spark, the University of Leeds' enterprise programme, and built in Manchester without external funding, Byteful now handles 30 billion+ requests a month for 1,700+ customers from its Deansgate office, and is one of Manchester's fastest-growing technology startups.
Why the Operating System Matters
Residential and mobile proxies work because traffic passes through real devices on real broadband and carrier connections. A growing number of websites, though, use OS fingerprinting: they read how a connection behaves and work out which operating system sits behind it. A request that presents itself as an Android phone but arrives through a Windows laptop can stand out.
Until now, which kind of device a request landed on was left to chance. Operating system targeting closes that gap, so a customer can match the proxy device to the browser profile they are running, or keep every request in a large job on the same operating system so nothing looks out of place.
How It Works
The Manchester firm has kept the setup identical to its existing location controls. Customers add an os_ parameter to their proxy username - os_windows, os_linux or os_android - next to the country, state or ZIP code they already specify, or pick from a new Operating System dropdown in the dashboard's proxy generator.
Each option shows a live count of the IPs currently online, and the same numbers are available through Byteful's public API so availability can be checked programmatically or fed into a customer's own tooling.
The release follows Live Pool Size Indicators, State Targeting and ZIP Code Targeting, all shipped earlier this year, and brings the same targeting approach from where a request comes from to what it comes from.
“Websites have got pretty good at spotting a request that says Android but behaves like a Windows laptop, and until now the operating system your traffic came from was luck of the draw. This gives you the pick, and it shows you how many IPs are online for each one before you commit - same as we already do for country, state and ZIP,” said Timur Gok, Founder of Byteful.
Operating system targeting launches as a beta feature. Byteful has said OS selection may not always be available across its residential and mobile connectors, and that customer feedback will shape what comes next.
Anyone wanting details can contact support@byteful.com or visit byteful.com.
