As much as many would love to subscribe to services like Netflix or Hulu so that they can watch their shows online legally, the sad fact of the matter is that these services just aren’t as widely available at the moment in a lot of countries. This has resulted in users using VPNs to bypass regional restrictions, and for the most part they have worked, at least until now.
According to reports, it seems that Netflix has decided to get tough on users who use DNS-based VPNs to bypass geoblocks. This was discovered in the latest update to the Android version of Netflix where it looks like Netflix has decided to hardcode Google’s public DNS into the app, thus effectively preventing users from specifying custom DNS that will redirect traffic via VPN servers based in specific countries in which Netflix is usable in.
A couple of VPN providers, Unblock-US and UnoTelly have since confirmed the update in the Netflix Android app and have advised users in their forums accordingly. We have to wonder why it took Netflix this long to get around to geoblocking all these users. After all using VPNs to bypass regional restrictions isn’t new, so why now and not earlier?
It has been speculated that maybe the studios are pressuring Netflix which is why they are finally acting. The semi-good news is that the restrictions appear to be limited to Netflix’s Android app and that if you use Netflix on another medium and use VPNs to bypass its regional blocks, you should still be able to keep using its service, at least for now.