Things we can't see from here
- Your address was a VPN's before. Providers reuse addresses. A block that once belonged to a VPN can stay on blocklists for months.
- A browser with a VPN inside. Opera's free VPN and Edge's Secure Network route the browser through their servers.
- Antivirus web protection that routes your browsing through its own servers.
- Work or school networks that send traffic through a proxy.
Help for a specific service
Netflix | Hulu | BBC iPlayer | YouTube TV | Disney+ | Prime Video | HBO Max | ChatGPT | Google
Why does a site say I'm using a VPN when I'm not?
Sites don't see your VPN app, only your address. If the address belongs to a datacenter, to a privacy relay like iCloud Private Relay, or to a block someone used for a VPN before, the site treats it as a VPN. Mobile networks share one address among many phones, so one person's VPN can get everyone flagged.
Why does Netflix say I'm using a proxy or unblocker?
Netflix blocks addresses it believes belong to VPNs, proxies and datacenters. With no VPN on, the usual reasons are iCloud Private Relay, a browser with a built-in VPN (Opera, Edge Secure Network), antivirus web protection that routes traffic, or a provider address that used to belong to a VPN.
How do I get a new IP address?
Turn your router off for a few minutes and back on: many providers hand out a new address. On a phone, switch flight mode on and off, or move from mobile data to Wi-Fi. Then reload this page to see if the address changed.
Can my clock give me away?
Yes. Your browser tells sites its time zone. If the clock says New York and the address says Amsterdam, some sites take it as a VPN. Set your computer's time zone to automatic.
