So recently I got myself an iPad brought over to Denmark by a friend of mine. Armed with a couple of US gift cards for the iTunes store I soon got access to the app store and the large amount of apps ready for the iPad on launch day.
One of these apps was the Netflix app. For those who don’t know, Netflix is an online streaming service that gives users access to a large amount of movies and tv-shows. Sort of like Blockbuster on steroids – but without the late fees.
But Wait I can’t see the Netflix app in the App Store?
That is because the app is only available in the US version of the App Store. In order to get access to it you need to change your account to an US account. Apple will check your credit card to see if you are from the US or not when signing up for the US store. Thankfully you can also get access by using a US iTunes giftcard as payment instead of a credit card. All you need to do is go to eBay and get a giftcard and redeem it: Get a giftcard here.
Anyhow, since Netflix is provided for US customers only the app can’t be used from Europe. To the rescue comes our good old friend VPN. After doing a bit of research I came across Hide My Ass VPN.
Setting up the connection is pretty easy. Go to Settings > General > Network > VPN and put in your account info from Hide My Ass and off you go. Here I have chosen the San Francisco connection – once you have ordered the connection here you will receive a mail with all the info for the servers with username and password.
As a sidenote this works for the ABC app, Pandora radio too – basically it works for all apps restricted to use in the Usa only. So you are in Europe, Asia or anywhere else outside the us then VPN is the way to go.
Get the Hide My Ass package here.
Extra info for the Netflix signup: Install the app from Hide My Ass on your computer and connect to a VPN server in the US before you start the sign up process for Netflix. When you need to input a zip code simply use a 5 digit zip code – any will do. Sign up for Netflix here