How to Use Amazon FireStick Outside The United States
Does the Amazon FireStick actually work outside the USA? It’s a question we get asked a lot. Amazon’s Fire TV Stick is a media streaming player that gives you access to your saved content on any compatible TV. It comes with 1 GB of memory, 8 GB of internal storage, a dedicated VideoCore4 GPU, and Dual-band/Dual-antenna WiFi. All of these features, in addition to the ability to sideload third-party Android apps on it, have made this streaming device one of the most popular around.
The Fire TV Stick connects to the compatible TV via HDMI port, making it easy to use and highly portable. It connects to your Amazon account and offers full HD streaming with a wide range of content options. The Fire TV Stick is a handy media streaming player to use in the United States. The content, however, will automatically be geo-blocked the moment you leave US soil.
Can I Use Amazon FireStick Abroad?
There’s no easy way to answer that question. The Fire Stick itself does work in the UK, Canada, Japan, Germany, Austria, and India. You would have to change your location on your Amazon account to get the Fire TV Stick to work, but the content and features on your Fire TV Stick will still be subject to geo-restrictions. For instance, you will not be able to use your American Amazon Prime Video subscription abroad. Neither will you have access to the likes of American Netflix, HBO GO, Hulu, or BBC iPlayer on FireStick. So, you might be able to somehow use it abroad, but the FireStick’s functionality will be severely limited.
Don’t worry, though. You can still access all your content, anywhere in the world, if you install and use a VPN!
How To Install a VPN from the App Store
The first way you could install a VPN onto your FireStick is to use the App store. Make sure that whichever VPN service provider you end up signing up with actually has a VPN app compatible with Amazon Fire TV. ExpressVPN, for instance, do provide their Fire TV Stick users with a ready-to-use application for Fire Stick that makes life that much easier.
- Type in your preferred VPN into the Fire TV Stick’s App store.
- Download the VPN App when it appears.
- Click “Open” and launch the VPN App after it downloads.
- Sign in to the VPN App.
- Select an American server to connect to.
How To Install VPN to a Fire TV Stick Via Download
If you’re a Generation 1 Fire TV Stick user or are already subscribed to a VPN that isn’t found in the App store, there’s a way to install your VPN using an APK file. Make sure to always try to download the APK file from the VPN’s site to minimize any malicious threats. Here’s how you can sideload IPVanish’s VPN app on your FireStick for example.
- On your Fire TV, go to ‘Settings’ -> ‘Device’ -> ‘Developer Options.’
- Turn on ‘Allow apps from unknown sources.’
- From the Amazon Fire Stick main menu, go to ‘Search.’
- Type ‘ES Explorer’.
- Click on the ES Explorer app icon to download and install it.
- Launch the ES Explorer app.
- From the ES Explorer menu, go to ‘Tools’ -> ‘Download Manager’ in the left-hand menu.
- Click on ‘+ New’ from the bottom menu.
- For ‘Path’, type https://thevpn.guru/ipvanish.apk and click ‘OK’.
- For ‘Name’, input ‘IPVanish’.
- Select ‘Download Now’
- The IPVanish installation file will now begin to download.
- Once the IPVanish APK file is downloaded, click on ‘Open file’ to install it on your Amazon Fire TV.
- Go back to your Fire TV home screen.
- Launch the IPVanish app.
- Sign in and connect to a VPN server of your choice.
The Best VPN for Fire TV Stick
If you thought the second method mentioned above seems like a lot of work, you’re very right. It is easier to simply download an app so you can get access to your content as soon as possible. Out of the top-tier FireStick VPNs available, ExpressVPN, BulletVPN, and IPVanish all have a dedicated Amazon FireStick VPN app, giving them an edge over other VPN providers.
- Best for streaming and privacy
- High speed servers in 160 VPN locations
- Works for Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu
- 24/7/ live chat support
- 3 extra months free on annual plan
- UltraHD streaming
- Free Smart DNS proxy
- Unblocks all major streaming services
- Limited Time 72% Discount
- Unlimited VPN connections
- Over 1000 servers
- Ad-blocking feature available
- User-friendly application
- Exclusive Smart VPN feature
- Standalone Smart DNS subscription available
- Extra security features
- Extensions for Firefox and Chrome
- Split-tunneling available
ExpressVPN’s Fire TV Stick app is not the only reason why we’re suggesting it, some of its perks include:
- Fast connection speeds for easy streaming.
- Zero log policy for maximum privacy
- Over 2000 servers available in more than 94 countries.
- High-grade encryption for maximum data protection.
Don’t just take our word for it! ExpressVPN’s 30-day money back guarantee goes a long way in proving its superiority to the hesitant new user. Give it a try and let us know what you think in the comments!
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About The Author
Charles
Streaming gadgets geek. Interested in every little thing there is to know about bypassing regional restrictions. An avid believer in the right to protect online privacy. Charles has also reviewed plenty of VPN service providers and knows how to separate the good apples from the bad ones.
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Hi Charles, I live in the UK and just had a cold caller from sky who was very persistent and managed to get me to tell him I use a fire stick to watch what I want when I want, because I can’t afford sky or virgin. I don’t download any illegal apps and still pay my TV license. He said that what I was doing was illegal, is he right and can he report me?
Hello Steven. The Amazon Fire Stick is an Android-based streaming device similar to Shield TV, Google Chromecast, and Mi Box. You can use it to watch various legal streaming services including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITV and many more. Owning such a device is perfectly legal. What precisely was the alleged ‘illegal’ act you were performing as per the Sky agent?
I just returned from a trip to Cuenca Ecuador. I was using a VPN with a USA server. The VPN tricked Prime but not my Netflix account. How is that possible?
Hi Nick. Some VPN servers are able to unblock specific channels but not others. Try connecting to a different American VPN server and see if that helps.
So if I understand correctly, if I download one of the VPN apps onto the Firestick I can use it abroad, specifically Italy?
Hello Marty. That is correct.
Hi, this is very useful. I have a question. I am from the UK, have a UK amazon account. I am staying in Ottawa, Canada for the next year or so. If I buy a FireStick in Canada will I be able to use it to watch UK tv programmes? Or should I buy a firestick from the UK? Thanks.
Hello Doug. You should be able to use your UK Amazon Account on a FireStick bought in Canada. Keep in mind you will need to use a VPN to access UK channels such as the BBC iPlayer or UK Amazon Prime on it.
Hello
How to download Firestick compatible HBONOW, Hulu, Disney+ SlingTV app if you are outside USA
Is there any slideload service I can download easily without fearing malware
i recently bought a Fire Stick in USA- I will travel to Thailand and want to use. I have a Smart TV there.
How can i do this? Am confused about VPN terminology and how to get set up.
Hello Bill. If you search the Amazon Store on your FireStick, you will find plenty of VPN apps you can install on it. In order to use these apps, you need to sign up with the VPN service providers that offer them i.e. sign up with ExpressVPN for instance and then download their app on your FireStick.
Once that is done, launch the VPN app on your FireStick, sign into it using the account you had previously created, and connect to an American VPN server from within the app.
Let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with.
When I want to download VPN a following message appears always (purchase failure), how can I solve this, my location is Iraq.
Hello Zyad. You can try sideloading the VPN app on your FireStick instead. See the second method explained in this guide for more info.
I’ve already used VPN in my Fire TV and changed region setting in my Amazon account, but I still can’t download Netflix/Hulu and watch Prime. Do you have any solutions for that?