Bored During the Quarantine?
Here’s How to Unblock Netflix US

Bored During the Quarantine?
Here’s How to Unblock Netflix US

Netflix has tons of amazing shows you can binge to pass the time until the quarantine is over: The Fall, Alias Grace, BoJack Horseman, The Office, Parks and Recreation. The list goes on and on. Unfortunately, if you’re in the UK, you might not get all the shows the US library offers. Data actually shows your library is about 230 movies and series short.

Don’t worry, though – there is a way to unblock the entire US library in Jolly old England. We’ll go in-depth about it in this article, but if you’re in a hurry, skip to this link to see how to get American Netflix in the UK on your smart TV.

Why Doesn’t Netflix US Work in the UK?

Geo-blocks, basically. They are a form of content control technology that allows Netflix to control what web pages you have access to on their website.

The site sees your IP address (which reveals your geo-location), so it knows whether it needs to restrict your access (in countries where Netflix isn’t available) or redirect you to a different web page (your country’s Netflix library).

Why Does Netflix Use Geo-Restrictions?

Many people will tell you it’s because there are “bigger interests” at play or that Netflix does it for “profit.” But those answers are just vague and mostly wrong. Here is exactly why Netflix uses geo-blocks:

Netflix only owns some of the shows on the platform. They can’t decide to make everything available worldwide when the copyright holders won’t let them do it.

Copyright holders are against broadcasting content worldwide on Netflix because they likely sold the distribution rights for their content to a different company. For example, Netflix might not have the right to distribute a certain show in the UK because a local TV network (such as Sky, BBC, Channel 4, etc.) bought those rights.

We have to be honest, those reasons make sense. Still, it doesn’t mean it’s okay that you have to put up with limited access to the platform’s content. You pay the same price like American users (if not more considering that the GBP is bigger than the USD), so you should be able to freely binge the shows on the site.

What’s the Easiest Way to Unblock Netflix US in the UK?

Just use a VPN. It’s an online service that hides your IP address, so Netflix won’t be able to see your real geo-location anymore.

Basically, all you need to do is connect to a VPN server in the US. Once you do that, all your connection requests to Netflix will go through the server. So, it will essentially “replace” your original IP address with its own.

Even better, a VPN will encrypt all your Internet traffic. You’ll be able to freely binge all the shows you want without worrying that your ISP will throttle your bandwidth. They’ll no longer get to spy on your data packets or see what websites you browse. They’ll only see the IP address of the VPN server, and nothing more.

And don’t worry – using a VPN isn’t hard at all. Not even on your smart TV. Here’s an article showing you how to get American Netflix in the UK on your smart TV in a few easy steps.

Just make sure you pick a reliable VPN. Not all services successfully unblock Netflix. The site actually blocks VPN servers on a regular basis, so VPN providers need to constantly update their IP addresses, and only the best VPN for Netflix can do that.

According to our tests, ExpressVPN and NordVPN are really good at unblocking Netflix US. Even if the site manages to block their servers, it doesn’t take long until they manage to circumvent their blacklisting.

Can You Unblock Netflix US With Tor?

Some people would tell you to use Tor, but it is not a good idea. While it can hide your geo-location, it can’t unblock Netflix. The platform shows up on this long list of sites that successfully block Tor.

Even if Tor were to somehow manage to unblock Netflix, there’s another problem: speeds. To be specific, you’ll get very low speeds because there are a little over 2,000 servers for around two million users. Not to mention your connection gets encrypted and decrypted multiple times, which contributes to the slowdown.

Can You Unblock Netflix US With a Smart DNS?

Yes, you can definitely do that. Unlike a VPN, a Smart DNS is an online service that hides your DNS address and routes your DNS traffic through multiple proxy servers to hide your geo-location.

Many people love using a Smart DNS to unblock Netflix because it doesn’t have any encryption. So it won’t slow down your speeds like a VPN. Also, there is a chance Netflix doesn’t target Smart DNS services as much as it does VPNs.

Just keep two things in mind:

The good news is that many VPN services have a built-in Smart DNS. ExpressVPN calls it MediaStreamer, and NordVPN refers to it as SmartPlay.

The Bottom Line

Social distancing during the quarantine eventually gets boring, and can drive many of us downright crazy. Luckily, Netflix has tons of shows to keep you busy. Too bad the US library (which is the best one) isn’t fully available in the UK.

There’s good news, though – with a VPN, you can easily unblock it, and start enjoying your favorite series.