Help my watch the BBC IPLAYER Website on my ipad while away from the U.K

August 27, 2017 1:40 PM

I'm trying to watch the BBC using the BBC Iplayer website on a safari browser on Ipad. I have tried using a VPN but it's not working. Seems the BBC site knows I am using a VPN. However a friend in the same house using the same network is getting the BBC though a BBC IPLAYER App on his laptop. I Am using the same VPN app as my friend but on my ipad (tunnel bear) and it's not working for me. I'm trying to use it at a different time than my friend and it still recognizes I am using a Vpn. HELP! Also maybe you could recommend A VPN service that you are using to watch the BBC on your ipad? Thanks, Hive
posted by citybuddha to Computers & Internet (4 answers total)

Perhaps you are being assigned an IP in a block that iPlayer has flagged as a known VPN, while your housemate is being assigned an IP they consider legit. You might try disconnecting and re-connecting a few times to see if you can get in your friend's address space. Use bearsmyip for an on-brand whats-my-IP experience.

You might also see if your housemate has "GhostBear" enabled, to make their traffic look less VPN-like. That feature is not available on iOS devices, but it might explain your different experiences.
posted by mumkin at 9:09 PM on August 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

I suspect it's this: I have tried to watch Dodger games on my iPad and iPhone via VPN because they're blacked out because TWC is evil. It won't work; somehow it accesses the GPS chip in my iOS devices. But I can watch Dodger games via VPN on my desktop, as it has no GPS chip. I bet IPlayer is doing the same thing.
posted by persona au gratin at 3:49 AM on August 28, 2017

I canceled my VPN because the BBC has gotten so good at rooting out people using VPNs. Now they want to know your TV license number and post code. ITV no longer works either.

I am going to put this in an ASKMEFI to see if anyone has a work-around.
posted by james33 at 6:07 AM on August 28, 2017

You say yourself that your friend is using the iPlayer iOS app, but you are trying to do it in Safari. Use the app.
posted by w0mbat at 10:00 AM on August 28, 2017