If you’ve been watching SonyLIV with a VPN and it’s stopped working, if all of a sudden you’re coming across errors when trying to watch the streaming service, then SonyLIV has managed to block the IP address that your VPN has given you.
This can be frustrating but fortunately, there’s a number of fixes you can try to resolve this issue.
This article will explain how you can fix SonyLIV not working with VPN and how you can prevent these problems from happening again.
See also:
- How to watch SonyLiv in the UK: It’s EASY and only takes 2 minutes! (2023)
- How to watch Hotstar outside India: The EASY 2-minute method (2023)
SonyLIV not working with VPN: Quick Fixes
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Delete Cookies
A good place to start when trying to fix SonyLIV not working with VPN, is deleting your Cookies.
Cookies are small files stored on your device in order to make your online experience more streamlined.
They aren’t dangerous files but in some cases they contain information about your location.
If this information shows you’re in a different location to the location your VPN is showing, SonyLIV knows you’re using a VPN and blocks your connection.
Deleting your Cookies is a good idea to fix this issue.
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Change to a different server
If your VPN is no longer working with SonyLIV, try changing to a different server.
The reason you’re suddenly running into errors watching SonyLIV with your VPN is because SonyLIV is constantly monitoring and trying to block VPN IP addresses. In this case, the streaming service has been successful in doing so.
Changing to a different server will give you a different IP address and if this one hasn’t been blocked by SonyLIV, you’ll be able to watch the streaming service again.
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Change protocol
If your VPN supports multiple protocols, try changing to a different one.
VPN protocols determine the way a VPN reroutes your data through its servers. They’re essentially a set of rules the VPN follows to provide you with a different IP address.
These protocols are all different though. Some are fast some are more secure.
Your VPN might not be working with SonyLIV because the protocol you’ve selected isn’t compatible with the streaming service. Change to a different one and see if that fixes the problem.
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Update/reinstall your VPN
A good way to get rid of issues arising with your VPN is to reinstall your VPN.
This ensures you have the latest version of your VPN software, including any bug-fixing updates that may have released.
It also means you’ll have a fresh installation of the software, so any errors or bugs you may have picked up will be erased.
If you inadvertently picked up some errors causing issues when using your VPN with SonyLIV these will be erased and your VPN might work again.
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Upgrade to a more reliable VPN
If you’ve made it this far and SonyLIV still isn’t working with your VPN, then your VPN is no longer staying ahead of SonyLIV’s VPN blocking techniques.
From here there’s two things you can do. First, you can wait for your VPN to release new IP addresses that SonyLIV hasn’t blocked. This isn’t a great option though because it means your VPN will have to fix the problem on its end, and there’s no telling how long this could take.
The second and better option is to upgrade to a better VPN. By better, we mean a VPN that consistently works with SonyLIV.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) works well with SonyLIV. When SonyLIV identifies an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) it will close that IP address and open a new one.
This simple measure will prevent you from running into the errors when watching SonyLIV with a VPN and it will allow you to watch SonyLIV reliably anywhere in the world.
Why am I getting errors watching SonyLIV with my VPN?
You’re coming across errors watching SonyLIV with a VPN because SonyLIV has managed to identify that you’re using a VPN and subsequently has blocked the IP address your VPN has given you.
The reason SonyLIV does this is all to do with broadcast rights. SonyLIV doesn’t have the rights to broadcast all its content anywhere in the world. It has strict copyright and licensing agreements with its content partners that disclose where in the world certain content can be broadcast.
VPNs are a well-known way of accessing SonyLIV anywhere in the world, and so using one could be deemed as a breach of the agreements SonyLIV has with its content partners.
Because of this breach SonyLIV could be liable to face severe financial repercussions.
To prevent that from happening, SonyLIV tries to block VPNs from accessing its service.
How does SonyLIV block VPNs?
SonyLIV blocks VPNs using three main techniques:
- The most common technique is to do with the IP addresses that your VPN can provide. VPN providers have more customers than the number of IP addresses they can provide; this means that customers can use the same IP addresses. Usually, only a household with a few devices uses the same IP address. When SonyLIV 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.
- SonyLIV monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- SonyLIV teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, SonyLIV will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from and it will block you.
Lesser VPNs, especially free VPNs, find it very hard to get around these blocking methods.
If you’re coming across the errors then your VPN doesn’t have good enough measures to stay ahead of SonyLIV’s VPN blocks.
Does SonyLIV still work with VPNs?
SonyLIV still works with VPNs, however, you need to use a VPN that can stay ahead of SonyLIV’s VPN blocks.
You need a VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and NordVPN ($3.19/month).
Inevitably SonyLIV will sometimes identify an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and NordVPN ($3.19/month) however the way these VPNs react to that is what sets them apart from lesser VPNs. When IP addresses provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and NordVPN ($3.19/month) are blocked, these VPNs will close them and open a new one.
This means there will always be an IP address for you to connect to, allowing you to stream SonyLIV from anywhere in the world reliably. It will also prevent you running into the same errors you’re coming across with your current VPN.
The best VPNs to watch SonyLIV
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
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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
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. 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 prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.
Check out our full ExpressVPN review.
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2. NordVPN 🥈
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
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
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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
- $3.49/month for 2 years
- $6.99/month for 1 year
- $11.95/month for 1 month
NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s 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 a 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 tunneling 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.
Read our NordVPN review.
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3. Private Internet Access
The BEST low-cost 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
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Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/month for 1 month
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-day 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).
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4. Ivacy
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
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Sign up for Ivacy and enjoy a 7-day trial with no strings attached
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
- $1.16/month for 5 years
- $3.50/month for 1 year
- $9.99/month for 1 month
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.
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5. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
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
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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
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $12.99/month for 1 month
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.
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