How to Bypass VPN Blocks on IPTV & Streaming Apps

The following guide shows exactly how to Bypass VPN Blocks on IPTV services, streaming apps, and third-party add-ons.

IPVanish and Surfshark hold the top two spots in our VPN rankings for streaming and general Internet use.

Over the past several months, complaints about VPN blocking have surged across the TROYPOINT Insider forum, comments, and emails. Various IPTV services and Stremio add-ons are now aggressively detecting VPN connections and refusing to load content.

I’ve actively tested this problem on my own streaming devices—recently running deep Wireshark packet captures on Android TV boxes like the BuzzTV G5 and vSeeBox V6 Max—to see exactly how these connections are being flagged and dropped at the network level. Based on my testing, I put together two video tutorials showing how to work around these blocks using both IPVanish and Surfshark VPN. Here’s what I found and how you can fix this issue on your own setup.

Why Are IPTV Services Blocking VPNs?

IPTV services and certain streaming add-ons block VPN connections by flagging known IP addresses associated with popular VPN data centers. Once a specific VPN server’s IP address gets flagged in their system, any user connecting through that address will be denied access.

This problem affects every major VPN provider, not just one or two. The difference comes down to how many IP addresses each provider offers within a given server location.

A VPN with a massive pool of IP addresses gives you significantly better odds of finding one that hasn’t been blacklisted yet.

How IPVanish Handles VPN Blocks

IPVanish VPN stands out here because of its massive server infrastructure. With over 3,200 servers worldwide, the service offers something most competitors don’t: the ability to manually choose from 100+ individual IP addresses within a single city.

We cover this and more in our video below:

Get IPVanish VPN With Special Discount

Here’s how the process works. Open the IPVanish app and connect to the server closest to your physical location for the best streaming speeds.

For me, that’s Chicago. Go into your favorited location and tap View Servers to see the full list available in that city. Each entry on this list represents a completely different IP address.

If your IPTV service blocks one server, simply disconnect and pick another from the exact same location. During my testing, Chicago server number four was blocked by my IPTV provider.

After scrolling through the list, server seventy-four connected without any issues. The live channel loaded right away.

Approved

STARLINK

Sick of Slow, Rural Internet?

Whether you live out in the country or take your RV off the grid, Starlink delivers blazing-fast internet to areas that traditional providers ignore.

Check Availability & Pricing

Saving Your Working Server

One major advantage with IPVanish is that the app remembers your last successful connection. After finding server seventy-four in Chicago, I disconnected and reopened the app.

Right at the top, it displayed “Chicago B74” and reconnected to that exact working address. You won’t need to hunt through the list again unless that specific IP eventually gets flagged too.

IPVanish has also started rolling out RAM-only servers in select locations, with plans for full coverage by 2027. These servers wipe all data on every single reboot, adding another excellent layer of privacy protection.

How Surfshark Handles VPN Blocks

Surfshark VPN takes a slightly different approach, and it does come with some limitations. We explain this further in our video below:

Get Surfshark VPN With Special Discount

Each server location still rotates through multiple IP addresses, but you can’t manually select a specific one from a list. Instead, each time you disconnect and reconnect to the same city, Surfshark assigns a new random address from that data center.

During my testing with the Chicago server, I received three different IPs ending in .144, .58, and .152. The .144 and .152 addresses were both actively blocked by my IPTV service, but .58 worked without any trouble.

The Limitation with Surfshark

The drawback here is that Surfshark doesn’t let you save or favorite a specific IP address. You can only bookmark the server location (city) itself. So if you find a working address, you’ll need to stay connected to keep it. Disconnecting means you might randomly get assigned a blocked IP the next time around.

If every address within your closest city gets flagged, try switching to a nearby location. I moved from Chicago to Omaha and found a working connection on my first attempt. Some smaller locations only carry a handful of addresses, though, making them easier for IPTV services to block.

I’ve personally left Surfshark connected for multiple weeks at a time on my streaming devices without issue. Once you land on a working server, just leave it running in the background.

IPVanish vs Surfshark for Avoiding VPN Blocks

For users dealing heavily with VPN blocks, IPVanish has a clear edge. The ability to manually browse and select from dozens of individual IP addresses within one city makes troubleshooting much faster. Surfshark requires repeated disconnect-reconnect cycles with no control over which address you receive.

That said, many VPN users never encounter blocking issues at all. If you aren’t running into problems with your current provider, there’s no reason to switch. But if blocked connections are a recurring headache with your specific IPTV provider, IPVanish’s server selection tool is a massive advantage.

What If Nothing Works?

If you’ve cycled through every available server and still can’t find a connection that isn’t blocked, consider switching to a different IPTV service, streaming app, or add-on.

There are plenty of excellent options available that don’t restrict VPN usage at all. There is no sense in fighting with a provider that won’t let you protect your privacy online.

Final Thoughts on VPN Blocks

VPN blocking has become a growing frustration for cord-cutters who want to protect their online privacy and prevent ISP throttling while streaming.

IPVanish’s large, searchable server database gives users a practical way to work around these restrictions, while Surfshark requires a bit more patience and luck with the automatic rotation. Both methods can get the job done, but IPVanish offers far more control over the process.

Are you having issues with VPN blocks on your favorite service? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!