If you’re trying to watch All 4 outside the UK with Surfshark and it’s not working, the IP address Surfshark has given you has been identified and blocked by All 4.
This has happened because Surfshark either doesn’t have measures in place to ensure it works reliably with All 4, or the measures it does have are no longer working.
The good news is there’s a number of fixes you can try to resolve the issue.
This article will explain how to fix Surfshark not working with All 4. And we’ll also explain how you can prevent these sorts of issues from happening again in the future.
See also:
- Surfshark not working with FuboTV? Try these EASY fixes! (September 2023)
- Surfshark not working with YouTube TV: Try these FIXES! (September 2023)
Surfshark not working with All 4: Fixes
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Delete Cookies
A good place to start when trying to fix Surfshark not working with All 4 is deleting your Cookies.
Cookies are small files used to streamline your online experience. They aren’t dangerous files, but they sometimes contain information regarding your location.
If you only intermittently use Surfshark, then some of these Cookies might hold information about your actual physical location.
If All 4 sees a discrepancy between the location stored on your Cookies and your actual location, it’ll know you’re using a VPN and will block the connection.
Try deleting your Cookies to see if this resolves Surfshark not working with All 4.
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Change to a different UK server
The reason Surfshark has stopped working with All 4 is because the IP address that Surfshark has given you has been blocked by the streaming service.
Fortunately, All 4 isn’t able to block Surfshark entirely, only the IP addresses it provides.
Changing to a different Surfshark server will give you a new IP address. And if this IP hasn’t been blocked by All 4, Surfshark will work again.
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Change to a different protocol
VPN protocols determine how a VPN reroutes your online data through its servers.
Surfshark might have stopped working with All 4 because the protocol you’ve selected is no longer compatible with the platform.
Surfshark supports three protocols WireGuard, IKEv2 and OpenVPN.Try switching between them to see if that fixes your issue.
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Update/reinstall Surfshark
Always make sure Surfshark is up to date. It may have stopped working with All 4 due to an error or bug. This could have been addressed in an update and installing that update will resolve the problem.
It can also be a good idea to install a clean version of Surfshark. Reinstalling the software will give you a fresh version of the VPN and will get rid of any errors or bugs you may have inadvertently picked up.
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Upgrade to a VPN that works with All 4
If the above fixes don’t fix Surfshark not working with All 4, then all of Surfshark’s IP addresses have been identified and blocked by the streaming service.
From here you can do two things: You can wait for Surfshark to resolve the problem on its end, or you can upgrade to a VPN that works reliably with All 4.
The problem with waiting for Surfshark to fix the issue is there’s no telling how long it will take, or if it will even happen at all.
To fix the problem quickly and effectively, your best bet is to upgrade to a VPN that works reliably with All 4 and has a good track record with the streaming service.
We’ve tested a massive range of VPNs and the best VPN for watching All 4 is ExpressVPN ($6.67/month).
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) is incredibly fast, and it works reliably with All 4. This is because it has measures in place to ensure that all of its IP addresses never get blocked by All 4.
Why isn’t Surfshark working with All 4?
The reason Surfshark isn’t working with All 4 is because the streaming service has blocked all the IP addresses Surfshark can provide.
It does this to protect itself from potential licensing disputes that may arise when someone connects to the streaming service using an IP address provided by Surfshark.
Because Surfshark allows customers to watch All 4 outside the UK, All 4 tries to block it. It does this because All 4 only has the rights to broadcast its content in the UK.
Using a VPN to watch it outside the UK could result in a breach of content licensing agreements, in which case All 4 would face severe fines. Obviously, All 4 doesn’t want this, so it tries to block VPNs from accessing its service.
Usually, Surfshark works reliably with All 4 however if it has stopped working, All 4 has managed to block all of Surfshark’s IP addresses, which is why it isn’t working.
How does All 4 block Surfshark?
All 4 blocks Surfshark by monitoring IP addresses connecting to its service.
Surfshark is a popular VPN and because of that, it has more customers than IP addresses. This means Surfshark users are forced to share IP addresses.
All 4 knows this and uses it to its advantage. All 4 blocks Surfshark by monitoring for an abnormal amount of connections coming from the same IP.
Usually, only a household of devices (8-10) use the same IP address. When a large amount of Surfshark customers are forced to share the same IP, All 4 can easily spot this. It knows it’s a Surfshark IP address and it blocks it.
Does All 4 still work with a VPN?
Yes, All 4 will still work with a VPN, but you need to use a VPN that has IP addresses that are still compatible with the service.
By compatible, that means you need a VPN that hasn’t had all of its IP addresses blocked by All 4.
You can either wait for Surfshark to release more IP addresses that haven’t been blocked by All 4, but the chances are, you’ll run into this error again.
To fix the problem, you need a VPN that plays a game of cat and mouse with All 4. You need a VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.66/month)or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month)
When All 4 identifies and blocks an IP provided by ExpressVPN ($6.66/month)or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) these VPNs will close that IP and open a new one.
This will allow you to reliably watch All 4 from anywhere in the world, and it will help to prevent the errors you’ve run into with Surfshark from happening again.
The best VPNs to watch All 4
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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Get 3 extra months free when you sign up for a 12-month ExpressVPN plan. That’s 15 months in total for the price of 12.
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
Special Offer for you!
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: 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
Special Offer for you!
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
Special Offer for you!
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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Take advantage of CyberGhost’s 1-day FREE TRIAL!
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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