Have you ever tried to access content on a website and got a message saying that the content isn’t available in your area? Have you ever heard about a Netflix show from your friend in Australia, only to find that you don’t have it on your Netflix in Germany? These are geo-restriction issues. Both Internet Service Providers and Websites control what content you get access to based on your location. Fortunately, there are ways to get around these restrictions. For Android devices, we’ve put together a few options that you can use to get around geo-restrictions to access the full range of content you’re entitled to have.
What are Geo-Restrictions?
It’s simple for ISPs and websites to instill geo-restrictions on which content you can access because it’s straightforward to see what your geographic location is when you access the internet. Your IP address gives that up. When a website you try to access gets a request from your IP address, it will check whether or not your location has access to that content. In some cases, they will present a message saying that it’s not available in your area. In other cases, like the Netflix example, it will redirect you to a regional page or content library.
There are a variety of reasons that a website or ISP can place geo-restrictions on content access. In the case of Netflix, it’s due to copyright and licensing agreements. When Netflix contracts to gain rights to stream a piece of content, the copyright holder can determine which regions can access that content. On the other side of that, both copyright holders and streaming services need to purchase licensing rights to make content available in each country. As you can imagine, this adds up. To avoid potentially astronomical costs, Netflix and copyright holders will only purchase licensing in specific countries and restrict streaming access to them.
Geo-restrictions can enforce price discrimination from region to region, create blackouts to control streaming through specific channels, and to accommodate legal restrictions, as is the case with online games.
Fortunately, all is not lost! You can bypass geo-restrictions by enlisting privacy services that block your ISP and/or specific websites from accessing your location. You can present yourself as coming from an area that has access to that content, and thus let you in. Based on your device and operating system, there is a service for everyone in each of these categories. Here we will focus on the Android devices and ways to bypass geo-restrictions.
DNS Changer Apps
You can bypass geo-restrictions by blocking your ISP from seeing which websites you are trying to access by using a DNS changer. DNS stands for “Domain Name System” and is part of your ISP’s server. It acts like a phonebook, where it looks up the domain you’ve entered into your browser (i.e., www.google.com) and returns the IP address for that domain (8.8.8.8). Each ISP has its own server and its own DNS map, and they can block or redirect access by changing the DNS look-up.
When you use a DNS Changer App, you are changing the DNS server that you’re using to a public one. This change allows you to bypass the restrictions and redirects that your local ISP DNS has. It also blocks your ISP from seeing what websites you are trying to access, which is a great added privacy feature. Trust DNS is one of the best DNS changer apps out there and is a great VPN alternative. You can find more info here.
Proxy Servers
A proxy server acts as an intermediary between your location and the website that you are trying to access. It works by connecting directly to a server and then asking that server to access the site you want on your behalf. Instead of using your IP address, the proxy server will instead use its IP address, allowing you to keep your location private from the website you are trying to access, and bypassing geo-restrictions.
Using a proxy server keeps your IP address and your location hidden from the sites you are trying to access. However, based on which proxy server you use, and its location, you may still encounter geo-restrictions on content. Another downside is that many proxy servers do not encrypt your data and also have bandwidth limitations. A lack of encryption can pose a severe problem if you’re trying to access and stream content like on Netflix.
You should be aware that while some proxies don’t use encryption, many do have bandwidth limitations. This will affect the speed of your connection, and possibly prevent you from streaming. There are a variety of proxy browser apps for Android available, which allows you to browse the internet on your phone through the proxy. Private Browser- Proxy Browser is one, and you can find more information about it here.
VPN Apps
If you want ultimate privacy from both your ISP and the websites you are trying to access, VPN can provide you with the best security possible. VPN, or “virtual private network,” works by creating its network tunnel between you and a VPN server. Similar to a proxy server, a VPN connection plays the middle man between you and any site you are trying to access. It keeps your IP address private and instead shows the sites you are trying to access its own IP address. The main difference between the VPN and the proxy server is that VPN encrypts your data between you and the VPN server, meaning that your ISP doesn’t know what content you’re trying to access. A VPN provides privacy on both ends of the spectrum.
There are a variety of VPN apps out there – both free and paid. It’s best to be sure that you choose a VPN provider that does not log user data or behavior, and that encrypts data on both ends. Some VPN providers will log your actual location and IP address, and with data breaches happening daily, it may not be the best idea for you to use them. For Android devices, check out SurfShark VPN, which has a strict no-logs policy, so they will never have your information in a database for hackers to get at.
Make sure that you retain your privacy and freedom to browse the internet and reach the websites you want, regardless of your geographic location. Whether content is blocked because of government interference or because of licensing issues, you can by-pass it on your Android device. From DNS changers to VPNs and proxies, there’s a method for you to put in place so that you can enjoy private browsing of the entire World Wide Web.