People in the US are able to stream In The Heights right now! Fortunately, there’s a simple way you can watch it from the comfort of your own home here in the UK.
All you need to do is gain access to HBO Max. To do that you need a reliable VPN that works with the streaming service.
A VPN will allow you to create an HBO Max account, and you’ll be able to access the same content US customers can.
In this article, I’ll explain what VPNs work with HBO Max. I’ll show you how to get a reliable VPN and how you can use it to watch In The Heights from the comfort of your own home here in the UK.
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How to stream In The Heights in the UK: Quick Guide
To stream In The Heights in the UK, you need to access HBO Max.
HBO Max isn’t currently available here at home, and it blocks anyone outside the US from accessing its content. You’ll run into an “HBO Max is not available in your region” error when going on the platform.
To get around this, you need to fool the streaming service into thinking you’re accessing its content from within the US. To do that, you need a US IP address.
Follow these steps to get a US IP address and watch In The Heights in the UK:
Total Time: 3 minutes
Create a new account with NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month).
Download and install the new VPN app
Open your new app and connect to a server in the US
Go to HBO Max
Create an HBO Max account (see more below)
Watch In The Heights in the UK from the comfort of your home
How to create an HBO Max account in the UK:
After downloading NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) you’ll no longer run into the “HBO Max is not available in your region,” error. However, recently HBO Max has started using a second layer of security by only allowing payments for an HBO Max subscription from a US credit card or PayPal account. There’s a few ways you can get around this:
- You can ask a friend or family member in the US to create an HBO Max account for you
- You can use an American Express card
- You can purchase an HBO Max gift card from mygiftcardsupply.com and create an account from anywhere in the world. (Mygiftcardsupply is a trusted and reliable website where you can purchase a variety of gift cards from anywhere in the world.)
The first two options aren’t eligible for most people. The easiest way to create an HBO Max account in the UK is using gift cards. Follow these steps below to create an HBO Max account using gift cards in the UK.
- Go to mygiftcardsupply.com
- Search for HBO Max cards
- Choose between a USD$25, USD$30, USD$50 gift card (note that standard HBO Max costs USD$14.99/month)
- Select if you want to make a one-off purchase or a repeat purchase every few months
- Proceed to checkout and confirm your purchase with your email address
- You’ll receive an email with a link. Click on that link, and that will give you access to your HBO Max gift card
- Connect to a US server on NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month)
- Create an account at www.hbomax.com
- Go to HBONOW.com/gift and enter the 10 or 12 digit code from the back of your gift card.
- Choose your State or Territory, enter your ZIP Code (you can do this by googling) and then choose Continue.
- Click I have an account: Choose the Sign in link. Enter your account email and password. Then, choose Sign In and Redeem
- Return to www.hbomax.com
- Enjoy watching HBO Max in the UK
Why do I need a VPN to watch HBO Max in the UK?
You need a VPN because HBO Max does not have the right to broadcast its content in the UK.
Because it doesn’t have these rights, HBO Max blocks anyone in the UK from accessing its service. It does this to protect itself from potential copyright and licensing issues.
HBO Max is a US-based streaming service that’s only available for US customers. To watch its content in the UK, you need to trick HBO into thinking you’re accessing its service from within the US.
To do that, you need a VPN. A VPN will allow you to get around HBO Max’s geo-blocking techniques, and you’ll be able to access its content anywhere in the world.
How do VPNs allow me to watch HBO Max in the UK?
The way HBO Max blocks your connection in the UK is all to do with your IP address. When you go online, you’re IP is sent to the service you’re connecting to.
If you go on the HBO Max streaming service, your IP creates a communication link between your device and HBO Max. For this communication to work, your IP contains information about your location. HBO Max scans this information, and if it finds you’re outside of the US, it blocks your connection.
VPNs allow you to watch HBO Max in the UK because they have measures in place to get around HBO’s geo-blocking techniques.
Reliable VPNs will give you an anonymous internet connection, and they can also provide you with an IP address from a country of your choosing.
They do this by encrypting all of your online data and rerouting it through their servers. When your data reaches this server, it’s decrypted and sent to a local internet service provider in the country where the server is based.
If you use a reliable VPN like NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month), all you have to do is connect to a US server, and you’ll be given a US IP address. Now when HBO Max scans your IP, it will think you’re in the US, and the content will be unblocked.
Will any VPN work with HBO Max?
Because VPNs are a well-known way of watching HBO Max outside the US, the streaming service tries to block VPNs from connecting.
It does this using three techniques:
- The most common technique is to do with the IP addresses that your VPN can provide. VPN providers have more customers than IP addresses; this means that customers are forced to share the same IP addresses. Usually, only a household with a few devices uses the same IP address. When HBO Max sees hundreds or even thousands of connections coming through on the same IP address, it knows that it is a VPN and it blocks it.
- HBO Max monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- HBO Max teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, HBO Max will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from and it will block you.
Lesser VPNs struggle to get around these blocks, and they won’t work with HBO Max.
The VPNs that will work are the ones that play a game of cat and mouse with the service. Inevitable IP addresses provided by even the best VPNs like NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) will be identified and blocked by HBO Max. However, these VPNS have a simple measure to stay one step ahead of the blocks. When HBO Max blocks an IP address provided by NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) these VPNs will close that IP and open a new one. This allows you to watch HBO Max in the UK reliably.
How to stream In The Heights in the UK
To stream In The Heights in the UK, the process is simple.
All you need is a VPN that will work with HBO Max, like NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month).
Once you’ve downloaded this VPN, you need to trick HBO Max into thinking you’re in the US, so all you need to do is connect to a US server.
This will give you a US IP address, and you’ll be able to stream In The Heights in NZ, from the comfort of your own home.
The best VPNs to stream In The Heights in the UK
1. NordVPN
The best (& fastest) VPN of 2021!
Pros
- Fast servers
- No logs
- Thousands of IP addresses
- 6-simultaneous connections
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Easy-to-use app
Cons
- No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
SPECIAL OFFER – $3.49/month
Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And its easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.
It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.
Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunnelling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.
2. Ivacy
The BEST low-cost VPN
Pros
- Fast servers
- Thousands of IP addresses
- Dedicated streaming servers
- 5-simultaneous connections
- 24/7 Live Chat
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Only 5 devices
- Sometimes runs slow
- Occasionally blocked by streaming sites
SPECIAL OFFER: 7-DAY TRIAL ($0.99)
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.
This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.
The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.
For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.
3. ExpressVPN
A very reliable and fast VPN
Pros
- Fast servers
- Thousands of IP addresses
- 10-simultaneous connections
- 24/7 Live Chat
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Easy-to-use app
Cons
- Expensive
SPECIAL OFFER – 3-MONTHS FREE!
Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
ExpressVPN is still one of the best VPNs you can buy. However, we’ve got it ranked in the number three spot for a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s the most expensive VPN on the market. This was understandable when it was also the fastest and most reliable VPN too. But now it’s not. NordVPN is. ExpressVPN has recently been struggling to unblock some big streaming sites – BBC iPlayer and BeIN Sports – too.
And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video etc.
ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites (apart from BBC iPlayer). Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites.
Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered.
The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently.
With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevent its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.
4. Private Internet Access
The BEST mid-range VPN for streaming!
Pros
- Fast and reliable servers
- Thousands of IP addresses
- 10-simultaneous connections
- 24/7 Live Chat
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Only 48 server locations
SPECIAL OFFER – SAVE 82%!
30-day money-back guarantee
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speeds: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1 million paying customers.
This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.
If, for whatever reason, you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-days money-back guarantee.
From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).
5. CyberGhost
Pros
- 1-day free trial
- Reliable servers
- Thousands of IP addresses
- 7-simultaneous connections
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Easy-to-use app
Cons
- Expensive
- Average speed scores
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
30-day money-back guarantee
Number of servers: 6,000+ | Speeds: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 200 in 90 countries | Devices supported: 7 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.
From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.
That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.
Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.
