Amazon’s Prime Video is one of the world’s most popular streaming platforms. It offers a lot of content, both original and licensed. However, as with most streaming services today, its library is different based on your region. If you want to bypass this kind of restriction, we’ll show you how to change regions on Prime Video.
Key Takeaways: Change Prime Region
- Amazon Prime Video offers plenty of content, but what you can access depends on what region you’re in.
- If you want to access Amazon Prime Video content that’s not available in your region, the best way to do so is by using ExpressVPN, which offers plenty of server locations and excellent security and performance.
- NordVPN and Surfshark are both more affordable alternatives to ExpressVPN, and also do a great job at changing your Amazon Prime Video location.
Amazon Prime Video’s content is excellent, but so are its technical capabilities, including 4K content with high dynamic range, HDR and up to 5.1 surround sound. It’s also available on a variety of devices, from desktop and mobile operating systems to smart TVs.
If you find yourself unable to access the Amazon Prime Video content you want due to regional restrictions, a virtual private network (VPN) is the way to go. Before we dive into how to access Amazon Prime Video in its entirety and the best VPNs to do so, we’ll briefly touch upon why regional restrictions exist and how exactly a VPN bypasses them.
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Yes, you can use Prime Video in another country by using a VPN server to virtually change your location.
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You can watch Amazon Prime U.K. in the United States by accessing Prime Video through a VPN server.
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Yes, Amazon Prime Video can detect VPNs, but most quality VPN providers are good at staying ahead of such blocks.
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How to Change Region on Prime Video: Why Is APV Region Blocked?
Licensing is the main reason why a different Amazon Prime Video country will give you access to different videos. Many production companies have licensing deals with both streaming services and TV channels, restricting who can show what content in different locations.
Depending on the specifics of the licensing agreement, if a TV channel holds the rights to a show in a certain region, you may not be able to watch it on a streaming service such as Prime Video. That being said, you can watch it if you virtually change your region using a VPN.
How Does a VPN Help You Unblock Prime Video?
A VPN tunnels your internet connection through its own servers, adding security while virtually changing your location. If you choose a VPN server in France, when you connect to Prime Video, the app will think you’re in France. Consequently, you’ll be served the library for the French Prime Video region.
This means you can change countries on Amazon Prime Video to whichever country you want, as long as your VPN of choice has servers in that country. A VPN also provides an encrypted connection, as well as other security features like split tunneling and a kill switch. Split tunneling allows you to choose which apps use the VPN connection, and a kill switch will disable your internet connection if you get disconnected from the VPN for any reason.
If you’re looking to unblock Amazon Prime Video content that usually wouldn’t be available in your region, a VPN is the best and most secure way to do so.
How to Change Region on Prime Video With a VPN
Changing your country on Amazon Prime Video is fairly simple. Keep in mind that the region change will only work for content that comes included with a Prime subscription. Content that’s available to purchase or rent requires a country-specific payment method. Here’s how to change regions on Prime Video, using ExpressVPN as an example.
- Sign Up for ExpressVPN
Go to the ExpressVPN website, and in the top-right corner, click “get started.” Follow the steps to choose a plan and subscribe to ExpressVPN.
- Download and Install ExpressVPN
When you’re done signing up, download the ExpressVPN app for the device you’re going to use the Prime Video app on. Install the ExpressVPN app on your device, and log in.
- Connect to a VPN Server
In the ExpressVPN app, click on the country to open the server list. Find a server in the country whose Amazon library you want to watch, then click the country. Back on the home screen, click the “connect” button and wait a few seconds for the connection to be established.
- Log In to Amazon Prime Video
Go to the Amazon Prime Video website and log in. You should now be able to watch the content from the region you’ve connected to with ExpressVPN.
Can I Unblock Prime Video on the Mobile App?
Note that if you try this on a mobile device, your device’s GPS may feed Amazon Prime Video conflicting information — your IP address says one thing, but the GPS says another. If this prevents you from accessing your desired library, try disabling GPS on your device before accessing Prime Video.
If that fails as well, try to access Prime Video’s desktop site via your mobile browser — you can do so by tapping the three dots in your mobile browser and clicking “request desktop site.” The desktop website might be a bit more difficult to navigate on a device with a small screen, but you should be able to access foreign libraries.
Can I Unblock Prime Video on a Smart TV?
Yes, but the exact way to do so depends on your smart TV. Some VPN providers offer apps that are compatible with some smart TV manufacturers — Samsung and LG being two such manufacturers. If you have a supported smart TV, you can install the VPN from your TV’s app library and use it just like you would use it on any other platform.
Alternatively, you could look into SmartDNS. A domain name server, or DNS service, translates an IP address into the address you see in the URL bar of your browser. SmartDNS is a service offered by VPN providers which uses your TV’s DNS settings to virtually change your region, effectively unblocking any Amazon Prime Video region. Unfortunately, it doesn’t encrypt your connection and won’t do much to keep you safe.
To use SmartDNS, activate it from your VPN provider’s settings. The exact steps depend on your provider of choice, but you should get the IP addresses of the provider’s DNS servers. Then, go to your smart TV’s network settings and manually enter the DNS servers you got from your VPN provider, and you should be able to watch Amazon Prime Video shows from a different region.
Do I Need to Change My Amazon Prime Video Account Region?
If you only want to enjoy Prime Video content from around the globe, you don’t need to change Prime Video region settings — all you need to do is use a VPN when connecting to the service. If you want to change your region, you can do it from your Amazon account settings, but that will change the region for your entire Amazon account and may impact purchases. Note that this won’t let you watch Prime Video content from other regions.
The 3 Best VPNs for Watching Amazon Prime Video
There are plenty of VPNs that allow you to access the Prime Video library, but three stand out, thanks to a combination of performance, security and ease of use.
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN doesn’t fail to remind you that it’s doing everything in its power to keep your data private.
Pros:
- Massive server network
- Apps for almost any device
- Great security & performance
ExpressVPN is the best way to change your Prime Video location, keeping your connection secure and offering a variety of locations to choose from. It came out on top in our best VPN roundup, and thanks to its easy-to-use apps available on almost any platform, it also came out on top in our best VPN for beginners roundup.
ExpressVPN has a huge selection of servers in 94 countries around the world, and you can enjoy the Prime Video service libraries from any of them. The Lightway protocol ensures speed and security, with support for both AES and ChaCha20 encryption. The only downside is pricing, but if you read our ExpressVPN review, you’ll find that it’s worth it.
ExpressVPN Plans
2. NordVPN
NordVPN’s map UI has become a hallmark feature, making it easy to navigate servers and pick one to connect to.
Pros:
- Large server network
- Strong security
- Excellent speeds
- Easy-to-use apps
Cons:
- Server breached in the past
If you’ve read our NordVPN vs ExpressVPN comparison, you won’t be surprised to see NordVPN come in a close second on our list. With over 5,000 servers in 60 countries, it doesn’t have the spread of ExpressVPN, but it still lets you enjoy the different country libraries Prime Video offers.
Speed is top notch, as can be seen in our VPN speed comparison, thanks to NordVPN’s NordLynx protocol (which we cover in more detail in our NordVPN review). Security is strong as well, though NordVPN does have one or two mistakes in its past. You can get NordVPN’s easy-to-use apps on the Apple app store, Google Play Store, or your favorite desktop platform or smart TV.
3. Surfshark
Surfshark’s static IP and MultiHop servers are easily found in the desktop app’s main window.
Pros:
- Apps for almost any platform
- Static IP & MultiHop servers
- Affordable pricing
Surfshark is the last VPN on our list, but it’s still a strong competitor to the other two. It comes with servers in 100 countries, which offer excellent speeds regardless of both your and the server’s location. Surfshark has apps for almost all desktop and mobile platforms, as well as a guide for setting it up on smart TVs.
Security is quite solid, and Surfshark even offers MultiHop servers that tunnel your connection through two servers rather than one for added security. Surfshark’s only downside is the inconsistent latency, though latency isn’t particularly important for streaming Prime Video content. You can find out more about it in our Surfshark review.
Surfshark Plans
- Unlimited GB bandwidth, Unlimited devices
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
- Yes
Can I Use a Free VPN to Change My Prime Video Region?
While you certainly can use free VPN services to change your Amazon Prime country, it may not be the best idea. Many free VPNs aren’t as secure as they claim to be, with some outright collecting and selling user data and others even bundling malware with their installation. We cover some of them in our list of worst free VPNs.
On the other hand, there are several reputable free VPN providers, with Proton VPN, Windscribe and TunnelBear being our usual suspects. Proton VPN is the best, as it offers unlimited data, though only on three server locations (U.S., Netherlands and Japan). So, if you’re looking for content from elsewhere, you need to upgrade to a paid plan. We talk about it in more detail in our Proton VPN review.
If this is the case, you can also use one of the other two options. However, as we mention in our Windscribe review, Windscribe gives you 10GB of data, plus another 5GB if you tweet about it. TunnelBear has a lower 2GB data limit, as mentioned in our TunnelBear review, so neither works for heavy streaming sessions.
Final Thoughts
Amazon Prime Video offers a massive library of content, rivaling other streaming services with its selection of movies and shows. Unfortunately, not every movie or show is available worldwide due to licensing issues.
A VPN is the best way to change regions on Prime Video. It will not only unblock Amazon Prime Video content that wouldn’t usually be available in your region, but it also secures your internet connection and keeps your activity away from prying eyes. ExpressVPN is the best Prime Video VPN, although if it’s too pricey, you can certainly use NordVPN or Surfshark as more affordable alternatives.
Have you tried changing your Amazon Prime Video country? What’s your favorite VPN to do so with? Let us know in the comments, and as always, thank you for reading.
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Originally posted on May 26, 2023 @ 4:02 am