If you have taken your Amazon Firestick from the UK to South Africa to continue enjoying watching your favourite shows, you were probably quite frustrated to find most of the apps you use are blocked.
Don’t worry. There is a very easy workaround to get your Firestick working in South Africa. All you need is a VPN to unblock all your favourite apps.
In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about how to use a VPN to get your Firestick working in South Africa. We will also recommend the best VPNs for the job. And our method will even work with the Amazon Fire TV too!
What you need
The best VPN to use to get your Amazon Firestick working in South Africa is ExpressVPN.
ExpressVPN is one of the best all-around VPNs on the market. But its lightning-fast connection speeds and huge server network make it ideal for streaming TV shows on your Firestick abroad.
Using ExpressVPN with your Firestick is a simple process. Here is a step-by-step guide for you to follow:
- Visit the ExpressVPN website and sign up for their service.
- On the Amazon Fire Stick (or Fire TV) homepage, click on the Search icon.
- Type in ‘ExpressVPN’ and then click on the ExpressVPN option.
- Click either ‘Download’ or ‘Install’ to install the ExpressVPN app.
- Now open the ExpressVPN app and login or activate it by following the on-screen instructions.
- Click Selected Location and then choose the United Kingdom (or the country where you bought your device).
- If ExpressVPN doesn’t connect automatically, click the Connect button.
Once a connection has been established, all of the apps on your Firestick should now be fooled into thinking you are in the UK and so work as usual.
You will also be able to watch content on apps like the ITV Hub, Channel 4, TV Player, or other geo-restricted channels from other countries, too.
If you want to watch BBC iPlayer you’ll need to install the Firefox web-browser and visit the BBC iPlayer website on your Firestick.
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Alternative VPN services
ExpressVPN is the best VPN to use with an Amazon Firestick, but it isn’t the only one. Not all VPNs can support the Firestick, but there are some good ones that you can consider if, for some reason, you don’t fancy ExpressVPN.
Our top three recommended VPNs to use with an Amazon Firestick in South Africa are:
- ExpressVPN – Recommended
- NordVPN
- CyberGhost VPN
All of these VPNs can do the job, but in our testing, ExpressVPN performed the best. They also offer a terrific 30-day money-back guarantee and at the moment you can get 3-months free with their annual package. This makes ExpressVPN 49% cheaper than paying monthly.
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What is a VPN and is it legal?
The reason your Amazon Firestick doesn’t work in South Africa is that the apps you use are geo-blocked to your home country.
Geo-blocking works by looking at your IP Address.
Your IP Address is a small bit of code that tells websites where your internet connection is located. But when you connect to a VPN, all your internet data is passed through an external server. When this happens, it is tagged with the IP Address of that server.
If the VPNs server is located in another country, the websites you visit will think you are there too and so let you access their services. And because VPNs also encrypt your online data, it is impossible for Firestick apps to know you are actually watching from South Africa.
It is a very simple process, and in South Africa, using a VPN is completely legal and permitted too.
Can I use a VPN with Kodi on a Fire TV Stick?
Yes. The Amazon Firestick is a popular device for Kodi users. And if you use your Firestick to watch TV shows and movies on Kodi addons, a VPN is an essential tool for you.
It is a well-known fact that quite a few unofficial Kodi addons can allow access to copyrighted content. There is therefore a risk of legal repercussions if you are caught using these addons.
But because a VPN like ExpressVPN encrypts all of your online activity and hides your IP Address, it is almost impossible to link your Kodi viewing habits back to your internet connection when using one. That’s not to say we condone watching copyright content of course.
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Conclusion
To use your Firestick in South Africa, you will have to sign up for a VPN. Our testing shows that ExpressVPN is the best one to choose, not least because they have a great 30-day money-back guarantee plus 3 months free on an annual package at the moment.
In this article, we have explained how to use ExpressVPN to get your Firestick working in South Africa and why it works. It’s a really easy process and the rewards that come from watching your favourite shows and movies will make a VPN a very sound investment.
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Have you followed our steps above? How easy did you find the process? I would love to know your thoughts so why not let me know in the comments below?
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Can I connect to free channels such as Pluto tv in South Africa
Hi,
Yes, there is a Pluto TV app for the Fire TV Stick.
At the moment I am contracted to DSTV and am not satisfied with the content.Watching sport is a must. Does fire stick with expess vpn give that option ,
I was made aware of Firestick by my brother in the Uk and he has cancelled his Virgin contract.
Hi Henry,
Using the Fire Stick with ExpressVPN won’t give you any sports access directly. You would still need a subscription to some kind of sport streaming service.
You may be able to get one cheaper / that offers more. Might be worth asking your brother what service he’s using.