You must change location on Firestick often to have unlimited access to apps and specific content that are blocked in your Country region. This article will guide you through the two possible methods on how to change location on a firestick device.
The first method is done by changing the location within Firestick settings, while the second method is by using a VPN within Firestick.
The second method is recommended if you want to gain unlimited access to regionally restricted content or you want to watch free content while protecting your IP address.
Express VPN is the best option for this method, it helps to totally hide your IP address and also keeps your identity anonymous online. Express VPN won’t give you any issue while streaming unless your connection is extremely slow to start with.
Presently all but the first generation of Fire TV stick devices support VPN connections. That is, in case you bought your Firestick device after 2014, you are probably safe. To be sure of your Firestick version, you can easily check the device itself; if you are using a first-generation device or not.
Amazon Fire TV stick is a streaming device that lets you watch different shows and movies on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and many other platforms using just one device. Unfortunately, not all Firestick users have access to the same programs and functionalities in various countries.
On the Amazon Fire TV stick, some apps and contents are region-locked, which implies you can only access these content from certain locations. In case you have a Fire TV stick device, and you are wondering why you can’t download some apps on the Amazon App Store, this is simply because Amazon offers apps concerning the country of device registration.
Follow through this post to the end to learn how you can change location on a Firestick. To change location on a Firestick is very important especially for the users who travel a lot and want to enjoy their favorite program as well.
How to Change Country on Amazon Account
Before getting to know the steps required on how to change location on a Firestick, it is paramount to verify how to change your country and location on your Amazon account. In case you want to re-register your Fire Stick in a different supported countryside, you need to first register your new address with Amazon. Follow the steps below to achieve that:
- Sign in to your account on the Amazon website and navigate to Manage Content >> Devices >> Settings >> Country / Region Settings.
- Choose the Change Country/Region Settings.
- Click on the Settings button >> Country / Region Settings >> Change.
- Now you can change your residence country. This requires a valid mailing address.
- Navigate to the Amazon website and flutter the mouse on the specific country flag icon of your region.
- Once you are done, tap Refresh the page you will notice that your country region has been successfully changed.
- In case you are using the Firestick for the very first time in your new country, you will need to perform the whole setup process again, just like you did the first time installation when you just purchased the device.
- That’s it!
Kindly note that if you want to create a new Amazon account, this change doesn’t affect shopping and other Amazon-related activities.
How to Change Location on a Firestick
As it has been mentioned earlier at the beginning of this article, there are two simple yet effective methods you can use to change location on a firestick and access specific content that are geo-restricted. For a total location change, follow the second method below. Here are the steps you need to follow below:
Method 1: Changing Location within Firestick Settings
Note that this method is only going to work for the registered areas of Firestick. Areas like the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, etc. Follow the steps below to change location on Firestick:
- Log in to the Amazon account linked with your Firestick.
- Tap on Settings on your Firestick Home screen.
- Navigate to Accounts and Lists and select Your content and devices.
- Select the Preferences option.
- Select Country/Region Settings and click Location.
- Submit your new postcode/zip code of the country you want to connect.
- Tap on the “Update” button.
To complete the whole process, restart your Firestick device. You might be asked to log in to your account again once it has rebooted. Now, your Firestick’s location and the country have been changed!
Method 2: Changing Location by Using a VPN
In case you are in the geo-restricted regions of the world, most of the apps and content on Firestick won’t work. You have to download and install a VPN as it is the safest and simplest method to change location on a Firestick device.
There are so many VPN connections available in the market today but we recommend ExpressVPN for this post. Follow the steps below:
- Navigate to your FireStick Home Screen.
- Tap on the Find button and then click on the Search Icon.
- Type “ExpressVPN” in the search bar and select ExpressVPN from the search results.
- Download and install ExpressVPN (ExpressVPN is very fast and reliable just like the name implies, with a vast number of servers.
- Tap on the “Get” option to download the ExpressVPN.
- Click on “Open” to set up ExpressVPN.
- Add a new address in the Country/Region Settings of your Amazon account.
- Log in to your Amazon account using your email and correct password and search for your preferred Amazon Prime Video content.
- Ensure you connect to the US server.
- Relax and enjoy your newly unlocked content seamlessly.
That’s it! You have successfully changed your location on the Amazon Firestick using an ExpressVPN connection via a few simple steps above.
How to Access Content in Geo-restricted Apps
Once you have been able to change your Firestick location, you should be able to access geo-restricted apps on the App Store. However, note that you will not be able to use these apps since the content is also geo-restricted. To access content, you will need to change your IP address.
This can be done using a reliable VPN. This is an online tool that conceals user activity and sends it to a remote server. This server then hides the user’s IP address to make them appear anonymous.
For instance, in case you installed an app that is only available in the US, you will need to connect your VPN to a server in the US. This will possibly make the app think that you are located in the US and provide you with the complete content.
In conclusion, you also need to select your VPN carefully as not all are suitable for streaming, ExpressVPN is however one of the VPNs you can use. Follow the steps below to change your IP address.
How to Change your Firestick IP Address to a different Country
In case you want to unblock region-locked streaming video from Amazon Prime Video as well as other apps like BBC iPlayer, Crunchyroll, and Hulu, then you will need an IP address associated with the country from which you are streaming. A VPN is the simplest method to change your IP address. A few quality VPN providers make apps for Fire TV stick devices. Here’s how to connect to a VPN on Amazon Firestick:
- Sign up for ExpressVPN, download, and install the app for Firestick.
- Open the VPN app, choose the country where the streaming service is situated, and connect.
- Wait a few seconds to establish the connection. You should have a different IP address now.
- Go back to your preferred streaming app and begin watching!
- In case you encounter playback issues, check out our guide on how to stop buffering on Firestick here.
Note that some VPNs are blocked by specific streaming services, so ensure you test out VPNs until you discover one that works, we already recommended ExpressVPN anyway.
How to Enable/Disable Location Sharing to Your FireStick
Once you create your Amazon account for the very first time, you will be asked to provide your location. This refers to your present country, state, region, city, address line, and ZIP code. The minute you begin using your Firestick, your location will be automatically enabled, so you don’t have to worry about that, the process is that easy!
However, there is no straight way to completely disable location sharing or conceal your location on your Firestick. This is because Amazon Fire TV needs to have some sort of location recorded to function. Once you feel like your privacy is at risk, you can change your location immediately.
You can do this by navigating back to the beginning of this article and selecting one of the location-changing methods stated.
Cant Change Location on a Firestick? Try these Fixes!
In case you discover that some specific apps are missing from the App store, this implies that your Amazon account isn’t set to the correct country. For instance, ESPN is not available in the UK, therefore British users simply can’t install the app directly.
Here are two possible solutions to this:
- Change your Amazon account region using the steps above
- Sideload the app onto your Firestick device.
If you are trying the second option, ensure to only download APK files from a reliable source, since some harmful sites like to repackage in-demand apps with malware.
I hope this article helped you to change the location on a firestick device without any hassle. Let’s hear from you by stating your suggestions in the comment section below. Thanks for reading thus far. Stay tuned for more articles on Gadgets fix.