By 2022, 80% of all internet traffic will be video traffic. People adore consuming content online. In fact, 6 out of 10 people prefer consuming content online to watching TV. And people view over a billion hours of YouTube content daily. In short, video is the de facto king of free time. Below, we’ll see how we can bypass regional blocks or restrictions on Android devices.
And we aren’t just viewing videos online; we’re doing it on our phones. Every year, mobile video consumption rises by 100%. And the average consumer spends over 5 hours a day on their phone. But how much of that is spent looking for content — not enjoying it?
What if you can’t watch the videos you want to watch? How many of you browse Netflix for 20 minutes simply to give up and do something else? Despite the massive amount of content that we have at our disposal, the sheer number of TV shows and movies that don’t fit into our taste palettes is staggering.
Well, if you’re looking for fresh content, the answer may be in another country. See, every country has its own unique content library across streaming services. So, if you were to pull up Netflix in Ireland on your Android device, the content would be drastically different than the content on Netflix in the US.
Why is that? What are region-blocks? And how can you bypass them to enjoy fresh content on your Android device?
Understanding Regional Blocks
Content streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and Amazon Prime have created a new era of content. Television shows and movies can be accessed instantly and consumed on-demand and in binge format. But this content revolution has a dark side — not everyone is enjoying it.
Copyright law is only enforced on a country-to-country scale. So, while HBO owns the rights to Dr. Who in the United States, Netflix owns those same rights in the UK. If you’re living in the US and you have a Netflix subscription, you can’t watch Dr. Who (unless you pay for HBO Go, of course).
And it’s not just region-locked by price and service. Sometimes it’s impossible to find TV shows streaming outside of their country of origin. For consumers hungry for content, this jades the streaming revolution. On the one hand, you have access to more content than ever before. On the other hand, it can be nearly impossible to partake in some of your favorite TV shows.
So, when you’re sitting there browsing Netflix for hours trying to find something good to watch, understand that there’s someone in another country doing the exact same thing. But what if you could both just tap into Netflix on a global scale? What if it didn’t matter if YouTube had blocked content by country? And what if the answer to unlocking the power of streaming was right in front of your face with services like DNS changers?
Why View Content on Your Android Device?
Before we jump into some of the best ways to bypass regional blocks, let’s talk about mobile video consumption. Chances are, you watch videos on your android device. Well over half of all video content is streamed from mobile phones. And the vast majority of that is from Android devices.
Android owns over 75% of the global mobile market. So, the Android devices stream more content than any type of device in the world. So it only makes sense that we talk about bypassing region blocks on Android devices.
But if you’re looking for ways to bypass region blocks on iOS, chances are, this guide will also work for you. Most VPN providers that offer apps on the Android Play Store also offer apps on the iOS App Store. This isn’t always true, but it’s most often the case. We recommend checking to see if a Play Store or App Store app version of your VPN is available before committing to a monthly fee.
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3 Ways to Enjoy Content from Anywhere on Your Android
To be clear, there are more than three ways to bypass regional blocks on Android. But, we’re going to go over the best three ways. Yes! Some people choose to use proxies (which purposefully weren’t on this list.) But, proxies don’t offer encryption, and that can lead to some serious issues down the road (i.e., lawsuits, hacks, vulnerabilities, etc.)
VPN
Virtual Private Networks (or VPNs) are the de facto solution to bypass regional blocks. In fact, a quarter of the internet is already using VPNs to connect to digital resources. So the obvious first choice for bypassing any region block is a VPN or proxy.
What’s the difference?
A VPN works by encrypting and routing all of your traffic to a private server before releasing it on the open internet, while a proxy routes all of your browser traffic to a private server before releasing it on the open internet. So, a VPN does two things that a proxy doesn’t. It encrypts data, and it routes all traffic on your network. And both of those things are immensely important.
The great thing about VPNs is that the major ones typically have servers across the globe. So, if you wanted to bing some UK Netflix, you could connect to a British server, and if you wanted to get your French Netflix shows in, you could connect to a French server.
The biggest thing to remember about VPNs is that you get what you pay for. Free VPNs typically have crowded servers, slow speeds, and restrictive bandwidth limitations while paid VPNs typically don’t throttle, and they have less crowded servers and higher speeds. After all, what’s the point of streaming content from abroad if the quality is subpar?
It’s important to remember that you have to pay for a VPN that offers Android support (usually an app). Otherwise, you’ll be stuck trying to create a home-brewed solution — which can be a serious headache.
DNS
While VPNs are certainly the easiest, safest, and quickest way to bypass region locks, they aren’t without their drawbacks. VPNs can be slow. Honestly, this really depends on the VPN you use. Again, free VPNs are notoriously slow, while paid VPNs can be relatively fast. Here’s the thing — VPNs aren’t expensive. Surfshark only costs $1.99 a month when you pay for 42 months (or $11 for a month-by-month).
But, if you have the need for speed, a DNS changer may be the way to go. Instead of routing your traffic through a 3rd party, DNS changers let you continue to send traffic directly to websites, but they change your DNS settings and route traffic to other countries under the guise of another server.
Like VPNs, there are free and paid versions of DNS changers. And, like VPNs, the paid versions are definitely worth it. Plus, the biggest free DNS changer Tunlr was shut down — leaving virtually no good free solutions on the market. Of course, there are plenty of paid options that work perfectly fine.
Again, if you’re using an Android device, make sure that the DNS changer that you use has Android support. Most of the time, this means an app.
Hola (Don’t Use This!)
Let’s touch on Hola. Every “how to bypass region blocks” list tends to have Hola as an option. DO NOT use Hola. Not only does Hola not work anymore. But the founders were selling users bandwidth to threat actors to perform DDOS attacks on companies. Everyone should avoid Hola at all costs.
In fact, everyone should avoid ANY of the free Chome add-ons or apps that claim to bypass region-blocks. There have been plenty of them that have popped up lately. Most of them are filled with malicious content, viruses, and malware. And they almost certainly do not work.
In other words, avoid searching bypass region lock in the Google Play Store, the solutions that you’re given almost certainly will be malicious in nature.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let the content wars prevent you from seeing the TV shows, movies, and videos you want. While content providers duke it out to try to capture the most revenue and countries have arguments over copyright laws, the users are the ones that are getting punished. And content providers will continue to region-block content into the foreseeable future.
All of these regional blocks or restrictions only serve to frustrate customers and create content chasms. Should the UK really not be able to access some of the best US shows on Netflix? Should the US really be doomed to never watch Dr. Who again? Of course not! Just try the tips to bypass regional blocks on Android devices described above and you should be able to get rid of such restrictions.
With VPNs and DNS changers, you can bypass those pesky blocks and get back to doing what matters most — enjoying your favorite content. You don’t have to hide under your bed and shadily torrent your favorite episodes of Dr. Who any longer. With a VPN or DNS changer, you can stream all of that wonderful, rich content directly to your Android device. And what’s not to love about that?
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