The Best VPNs to Watch ITVX from Abroad

A computer is the easiest place to start with ITVX abroad, since you don’t have to change your app store region.

The ITVX app is only listed in the UK’s iOS and Android app stores.

To save you the headache of changing app store region — which means losing access to apps and subscriptions tied to your current country — I suggest watching ITVX through your phone’s web browser instead.

ITVX plays video natively in the browser, but at lower resolutions. So, you avoid the pain of switching app stores at the cost of no longer streaming in Full HD.

However, if you already have the ITVX app installed on your device, you can simply connect to a UK VPN server and start streaming as normal.

If your Amazon account is registered outside the UK, the ITVX app won’t appear in the Appstore, regardless of your IP address.

Your options are to switch your existing Amazon account’s region to the UK, or to register a fresh UK account at amazon.co.uk.

Because ITVX plays in-browser, an alternative is to use the Fire TV’s built-in Silk Browser to stream directly from the website. The setup is essentially identical to the PC and Mac walkthrough.

Like on mobile browsers, the picture quality through Silk is unfortunately a step down from the high-resolution playback of the native app.

If the viewing experience of Silk isn’t good enough for you, you have the option to sideload the ITVX app onto your non-UK Fire TV using its APK file.

Sideloading is fully supported by Amazon through developer settings, but the process is more involved.

How to Sideload ITVX onto Your Fire TV

1. Turn on Developer Options. Go to Settings > My Fire TV > About and tap your device name seven times until “You are now a developer” appears.
2. Allow apps from unknown sources. Go back to My Fire TV > Developer Options and switch on Install unknown apps. Older Fire TVs label this Apps from Unknown Sources.
3. Install the Downloader app from the Amazon Appstore (free). You’ll use it to fetch the ITVX APK.
4. Give Downloader permission to install apps. Back in Install unknown apps, flip the Downloader toggle to ON. Without this, step 7 will fail.
5. Connect your VPN to a UK server.
6. Open Downloader and enter the APK URL. In the Browser tab, type the APKMirror URL for the ITVX app and tap Go.
7. Download and install the APK file. Once the download is complete, select Install, wait for confirmation, then Done. Use Delete to remove the installer file afterwards to free up space.
8. Find the app and open it. Sideloaded apps don’t appear on the home screen by default. Go to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications, find ITVX, and pick Launch application. To pin it to your home row, install a free launcher like Wolf Launcher or AppStarter.
9. Sign in and watch. Use your existing ITVX login or create a new account with any UK postcode.

As with Fire TV, the only way to install the ITVX app on Apple TV is to be signed into the App Store with a UK Apple ID.

Unfortunately, AirPlay no longer works as a workaround for ITVX, and tvOS web browser apps can’t decode the DRM technology ITVX uses.

In practice, creating a UK Apple ID is your only realistic route.

How to Unblock ITVX on Apple TV

1. Sign out of your current Apple ID on the Apple TV: Settings > Users & Accounts.
2. Create a new UK Apple ID at appleid.apple.com using a UK address. Pick “None” as the payment method.
3. Sign in to the Apple TV with your new UK Apple ID.
4. Search the App Store for ITVX and install it.
5. Install your chosen VPN’s Apple TV app, sign in, and connect to a UK server.
6. Open the ITVX app, then sign in or create a free account.

A handy piece of information: tvOS lets you use a separate Apple ID for the App Store from your iCloud and Apple TV+ one. That means you can keep using your main ID on everything else, and only use the UK one for app downloads.

If your hardware doesn’t take VPN apps, the simplest route into ITVX is a Smart DNS proxy.

Smart DNS works by sending your DNS lookups through a proxy server, which is enough to fool ITVX into thinking you’re in the UK.

A Smart DNS proxy isn’t the same thing as a VPN, though. It doesn’t encrypt your traffic, so it’s less private, but it does the job for unblocking content on devices like Xbox and PlayStation.

I tried every Smart DNS proxy offered by major VPN providers, and the two that handled ITVX most reliably were NordVPN’s SmartDNS and ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer.

Before either will work, you’ll need to register your real IP address through your VPN account on the provider’s website.

Once that’s done, you’ll be given the DNS addresses to plug into your console or smart TV (assuming the TV doesn’t have access to the Google Play Store).

The exact steps vary by provider and device, so follow either NordVPN’s or ExpressVPN’s Smart DNS setup guides.

Roku devices sold in the UK come with British TV apps already on board, including ITVX, BBC iPlayer, and Channel 4.

On Roku devices bought outside the UK, the only viable method to use a VPN is to install it on your router as Roku doesn’t support VPN software natively.

Smart DNS isn’t an option either, because Roku hardcodes its DNS.

To use a VPN with Roku, I recommend choosing ExpressVPN since it’s the only VPN with its own router and companion app. The router itself costs extra, but it spares you most of the technical pain.

The DIY alternative is to configure your existing router with VPN-compatible firmware. It’s more involved, though, and you risk bricking the hardware if it isn’t compatible to begin with.

If your current UK server is on ITVX’s blocklist, simply jumping to another one is often enough to get streaming again.

ITVX may also be picking up on a DNS or IP leak that reveals your real location. Run a VPN leak test to confirm whether that’s what’s tripping you up.

If you’ve used ITVX before, your browser (or the ITVX app) is probably holding onto data from earlier sessions. That data sometimes includes location signals that override the VPN.

Wiping cookies and cache clears those leftovers. While you’re at it, turn off your browser’s geolocation feature too.

If none of those steps work, you’ll need a VPN that can definitively get past ITVX’s geo-restrictions.

Both NordVPN and ExpressVPN cycle through their UK IP addresses regularly to stay one step ahead, and either is a safe bet.

• What I Did: I connected repeatedly to each VPN’s UK servers and checked whether ITVX detected and blocked them.
• Why It Matters: ITVX runs aggressive geo-checks and routinely blacklists IP addresses tied to popular VPN providers.
• Best Result: Every UK server tested produced an instant, buffer-free connection to ITVX.

• What I Did: I measured connection speeds from multiple regions, looking at both nearby and long-haul routes into the UK.
• Why It Matters: You need solid throughput for stable Full HD playback on ITVX.
• Best Result: A speed reduction of 10% or less from a nearby country, and 20% or less from the other side of the world.

• What I Did: I counted each VPN’s UK servers, mapped their cities, and verified the IP assignments using an IP checker.
• Why It Matters: A bigger UK network means lower congestion and a better chance of finding a server ITVX hasn’t yet blocked.
• Best Result: Hundreds of servers spread across multiple British cities.

• What I Did: I tested each provider’s native apps and looked at extras like Smart DNS and dedicated router software.
• Why It Matters: Wide device support means you can stream ITVX on hardware that won’t run a VPN client directly.
• Best Result: Native apps for Fire TV, Android TV, and Apple TV, plus a Smart DNS option and excellent router support.