How to use the Amazon Firestick in the Philippines
Carolina
Carolina, who originally hails from Argentina is a movie buff through and through. She enjoys nothing more than binge-watching the latest Netflix series and is a big fan of their 'Originals' line. Her favourite movie is Frozen and she's a big fan of The Good Place & The Dragon Prince.
If you live in the Philippines and you wish to be able to use an Amazon Fire TV Stick (or Fire TV / Fire TV Cube), you have come to the right place.
In this guide I’m going to help you so you can easily access your Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick or Fire TV Cube in the Philippines.
Since the Amazon Fire TV or any of the other Amazon TV devices aren’t officially available in the Philippines, most of the apps don’t work there.
The good thing is there’s a very simple and easy way to fix this and the best thing: it’s legal.
So, if you like to watch content from different apps around the world and you’ve taken your Fire TV device to the Philippines, keep reading this guide.
Can I use a Firestick in the Philippines?
Yes, of course, you can. However, not officially and not without some assistance.
But there’s a trick. If you turn on your Fire TV, Fire TV Stick or Fire TV Cube from another country, or the one you bought online it won’t just work right away.
Most of the apps have a block due to the geo-restrictions they have. This means you’re unable to watch your favorite shows or sports.
In order to skip this blocking, you’ll need a VPN service.
A VPN disguises your location on the internet, and allow you to choose a location that’s suitable for the apps you want to access.
So if you want to watch HBO in the Philippines for example, you can. Or BBC iPlayer, or SonyLiv and so the list goes on.
Besides allowing you to watch content around the world, the VPN also protects your privacy online. So, it’s a win-win.
But, you must be careful because not all the VPN services support the Fire TV, Fire TV Stick or Fire TV Cube. Actually, 90% don’t work.
Luckily, there are other services like ExpressVPN that work perfectly with these devices.
Our #1 VPN for the Firestick
30-day money back guarantee
Where can I get a VPN for the Firestick?
There are a lot of VPN services, but sadly not all of them are suitable for Amazon devices. In fact, the majority don’t work.
After some testing and research, we found these three that are the best ones:
- ExpressVPN – Other readers recommend this + 30-day money back guarantee
- NordVPN
- IPVanish
Now, you need to choose one of these services, any of them are great and although I recommend ExpressVPN for their ease of use the choice is yours.
They all have an easy set-up process, and you can unblock all shows and networks in the Philippines.
ExpressVPN is, however, easier to use and they’re faster than the others, so that would be my recommendation.
Since VPN services have a monthly fee, you may consider to sign up for 12-months because most services offer a discount when you do it.
Express VPN is 49% cheaper if you choose the 12-month package instead of paying each month.
How to use a VPN with the Firestick
Once you have chosen a VPN service, you have to sign up and download their app.
Turn on your Fire Stick or Fire TV, and search for ‘ExpressVPN’ or the name of the VPN you choose in the Amazon App Store.
Download or ‘Install’ the app onto your Amazon device, and sign in with the credentials you created when you signed up to the service.
Then choose the country where the services you wish to access are from.
For example, if you want to watch the BBC from the UK, you must select the United Kingdom in the ExpressVPN app, and then press “Connect”.
Once you’re connected, you can start using any app you wish as you were in the country you’re connected to.
Our #1 VPN for the Firestick
30-day money back guarantee
What apps can I use in the Philippines
You can use almost all apps with a VPN service.
You can access different Netflix regions using your regular account. You only need to choose the region you want.
HBO, BBC iPlayer, NBC Sports, etc, are all available through a VPN service choosing the right region to access them.
Sadly, it’s impossible to unblock regions in the Amazon Prime app, but hey, only being unable to unblock one app isn’t bad, huh?
Some services like BBC iPlayer you’ll need to unblock and then access through the built in web-browser as they don’t work directly in the app itself.
Are VPN apps legal?
Yes, VPN apps are totally legal, and they’re convenient for your daily online life.
They don’t only allow you access to content restricted for certain regions, but they also protect your connection.
They work as an intermediate between your devices and internet disguising your location and preventing you from being exposed to different risks.
This is especially beneficial if you’re trying to access blocked content in the Philippines, such as streaming video of an adult nature.
Or if you’re a Kodi user, you can protect your viewing habits.
In Summary
You can use Amazon Fire TV Stick in the Philippines, but to do it, you’ll need a VPN app.
VPN services are paid, but their fees are cheap. They’re legal and besides give you access to watch region-restricted content, they also protect your privacy online.
Not all the VPN services are suitable for Amazon devices, that’s why we recommend ExpressVPN.
It’s easy to use, cheap, and if you sign up for the 12-month package, you’ll get a 49% discount and three months thrown in free on top.
Sign up for their service and then download their app on to your Fire TV, Fire TV Stick or Fire Cube. Then choose the country your Fire TV device is from and connect.
Now you’re able to connect to 99% of the apps and services.
Hi there….I live in the Philippines and use Bit Defender as my VPN… I brought with me my Amazon FireStick, but I forgot the registration or code I use with it. Any suggestions?
Hi Santy,
The registration code for Bit Defender or your Firestick?
I live in the philippines but my bankers are in the uk. Can I buy a vpn, with my uk account, or do I need to use a philippine bank account?
Hi Kevin,
You can use your UK payment cards no problem!
Wow! Good to know. Thanks!
Do you still need to register your Firestick with Amazon if your using it in another country like Philippines?
How about the setting of your location? If you change it will this automatically block contents even with VPN.
Hi,
Your Amazon Firestick would likely need to be linked to an Amazon account. The location should be set to your ‘home’ country that matches your Amazon account.
This won’t effect the VPN usage.