Update 01/28/16: A reader reached out to us to let us know that his Unblock-Us account is no longer working on his Android device. It’s unclear how many Canadians are affected at this time, though, Unblock-Us posted this message (seen below) on their Facebook page. An increasing number of Twitter users have also reached out to the company regarding region-switching issues.
“We are aware that a small percentage of our customers are getting errors when trying to access different Netflix regions. If you do happen to get an error, we kindly ask that you contact our support team via email so they can collect some information from you. Of the customers that have emailed our support so far, we have been able to provide solutions for them so that their service can continue normally.”
Thanks, Spencer!
In a move that’s likely a precursor to what Canadian region-switching Netflix subscribers will soon experience, Netflix has begun cracking down on VPN and proxy users in Australia.
uFlix, a company that provides a service that allows users to change their IP address and DNS settings, circumventing geographical-related content restrictions, says some of its users are unable to access content from other regions of the world.
The following warning is reportedly showing up in some Australian Netflix user’s accounts: “You seem to be using an unblocker or proxy, please turn off any of these services and try again.”
uFlix says that the blocking seems to be affecting a small segment of subscribers at the moment, but that the platform expects those numbers to increase in the near future.
Netflix officially expanded to the Australian market in March, but reports from as far back as 2014 indicate as many as 200,000 Australians were already accessing the platform via VPN/DNS services.
It’s unclear if Netflix is starting to block proxy devices in other regions of the world, particularly Canada. Unblock-Us, one of the most popular Canadian proxy providers, recently stated the following in a Facebook post: “We are aware of the announcement and should our service be affected at any time, we will make adjustments.”
A quick look at the proxy service’s Facebook page and official Twitter account indicates a small number of users are experiencing difficulties with Unblock-Us, although it’s unclear if the issues these users are experiencing are related to Netflix’s recent commitment to stop the use of proxy services.
If you’re a Canadian Netflix user, let us know in the comments section if you’ve run into difficulties related to region-switching.
According to the company’s recently released quarterly earnings, Netflix now has more than 75 million subscribers. The streaming platform also recently expanded into 130 new regions including Russia, India and South Korea.
Related reading: It’s official: Netflix says it plans to crack down on license-infringing proxy users
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