The Netflix Situation - August 2021

Updated: September 2, 2021

TL;DR (aka. short version)

Netflix has updated its algorithm. Most regions can no longer unblock Netflix reliably, but we continue to unblock US, Japan, UK, and Hong Kong regions going forward without too much difficulty.

If you know someone who is having problems unblocking Netflix, feel free to let them know about WannaFlix's solution. :)

NOTE: This does not affect any other streaming services like Hulu, Disney+, etc.

Long version:

On August 4, 2021, Netflix drastically changed its VPN detection algorithm. Most VPNs were no longer able to unblock Netflix, including the largest ones such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN. This new update was so extreme that some users who were not using VPNs in the US had their home IPs blocked by Netflix.

Clearly, this was a change in Netflix's blocking strategy. Why did Netflix make this change? And how will it affect Netflix-unblocking services in the future, including WannaFlix? Let us see.

What can be done?

There are several ways to bypass Netflix's algorithm, but they are not easy to implement. We are still experimenting with what works best, and what is most reliable.

This is why it took us 2-3 weeks before writing this post. We wanted to gather enough information to make an informed assessment of the situation and what we could reasonably offer. We wanted to offer you something that would work reliably.

This is what we have found:

• We have several ways to unblock the US, UK, Japan, and Hong Kong

• It is not currently possible to guarantee the unblocking of Netflix in other regions

• We may still be able to unblock these regions (depending on how Netflix updates its algorithm going forward): Germany, Taiwan, Canada

• We currently have no reliable way to unblock Korea Netflix

We know Korea is an important region for some of you Korean expats. We are still trying to find a solution, but seeing how things are going, we are not very hopeful.

Recommendations and looking ahead

Here is what we recommend:

If you are only interested in Japan, Hong Kong, UK, or US Netflix, everything should be fine. Especially for the US region, we can reliably unblock it.

Our servers are still working for watching Netflix's original shows. Connecting to most regions will let you watch them in those languages (Korean, etc.). If you need to watch the other part of the catalog in those regions, and this is the only reason why you are using us, you may need to consider other options. Just one word of advice: almost no VPNs work with Korea at the moment, so just be careful not to lose your time and money when searching for an alternative.

For Korea, it may be a better option to try another streaming service other than Netflix. We are still working just fine with all the other streaming providers like Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime, etc. Check that they have the shows you want in advance.

NOTE: These recommendations are for the current situation. If Netflix updates it's algorithm again or if we find a way to unblock additional regions, these recommendations may change in the future.

Note that for the regions that cannot currently be unblocked, we still haven't given up and are continuing to search for viable options. It's just that we wanted to clarify the current situation so you know what is happening and so you can make an informed decision on how to move forward.

The internet situation is constantly changing; but we can adapt.

We hope this post has clarified some things regarding the current Netflix situation, and what can be expected in the future.

If you have any questions, please feel free to let us know by ticket or in our telegram group chat. We're always here to help.