How to Unblock iHeartRadio Outside US Territory
Looking to relax listening to your favorite artists on iHeartRadio? As enjoyable as that sounds, it’s often met with disappointment by people trying to access iHeartRadio outside US territory because the service isn’t available in that case. Don’t worry, though - we’ll show you exactly how to quickly and easily get iHeartRadio unblocked if you’re dealing with that issue.
Is iHeartRadio Available Worldwide?
Not really. At the moment, iHeartRadio only works in the following countries:
- The US
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Australia
If you try to use the service outside those countries, you won’t be able to do so. Either iHeartRadio won’t load or work for you, or you’ll just get a message letting you know the service isn’t available in your area yet.
Why does that happen? Because iHeartRadio uses geo-restrictions to make sure only people from the countries mentioned above can use their service.
What Are Geo-Restrictions?
Geo-restrictions (also called geo-blocks) are a form of content control used by content providers to make sure only online users from “approved” countries can view certain content or use various online services.
Geo-blocking works based on your real IP address. Basically, the iHeartRadio website will see your IP address when you want to connect to it. Since your IP address contains information that reveals your real geo-location, the website will have an easy time telling what part of the world you are from.
In case you’re not from a “whitelisted” location, your connection request will either be denied and you will be redirected to a landing page telling you why, or you will get limited access to the platform.
Why Does iHeartRadio Use Geo-Restrictions?
It’s mostly because of expenses and copyright regulations. You see, iHeartRadio doesn’t actually own the rights to all the songs, radio stations, and podcasts it offers access to. So, it’s not really up to them whether they make that content available in all countries or not.
Plus, in order to make all the content available worldwide, iHeartRadio would need to purchase licensing rights in every single country in the world. Pair those costs up with potential national taxes and fees for each country, and you start to see just how expensive it would be for iHeartRadio to offer their content to everybody in the world.
Of course, that doesn’t really mean it’s fair that you need to put up with geo-restrictions keeping you from listening to your favorite tracks and radios.
How to Access iHeartRadio Outside US, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia
Since the website relies on your geo-location to block access to its services and content, it’s pretty obvious you need to find a way to mask your geographical location when you’re in the Internet. As difficult as that might sound, there are actually two easy ways to do it:
1. Use a Smart DNS
A Smart DNS is a service that hides your ISP-assigned DNS address (which - like your IP address - can also contain information that leaks your geo-location), and replaces it with a new DNS address that points to an “acceptable” geographical location.
On top of that, a Smart DNS will also intercept your connection requests to the iHeartRadio website, and replaces any data within them that can leak your geo-location with new data that is linked to a different location either in the US, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand.
2. Use a VPN
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a service you can use to hide your real IP address, and replace it with a new one - specifically the address of the VPN server you connect to.
Basically, you can make it seem as if you are from the US, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand by connecting to a VPN server in one of those countries.
Which Option Is Better?
It all depends on your preferences, but there are certain differences between the two services that are worth noting.
For one, if you’d really want to enjoy higher online speeds, a Smart DNS would suit you better. Why? Because, unlike a VPN, it doesn’t use any encryption, meaning you get to enjoy your original ISP speeds with it.
On the other hand, if you’d like to make sure your ISP can’t monitor your activities and throttle your bandwidth while you get iHeartRadio unblocked, a VPN would be a better choice because it can secure your traffic to make it surveillance-free.
How Can You Get iHeartRadio Unblocked at School?
Unfortunately, geo-restrictions aren’t the only thing that can keep you away from your favorite music. Sometimes, even if you live in the US, Canada, New Zealand, or Australia, you might still not have access to iHeartRadio when you’re on school grounds - no matter if you’re in middle school, high school, or college.
Basically, there’s a chance that school policies forces network admins to block “distracting” websites on the school’s WiFi network. That can include platforms like YouTube, iHeartRadio, or even Facebook.
While one can argue there’s a good reason to do this, it’s hardly fair for you. After all, maybe you study better while listening to an artist you really like. Plus, who’s to say you can’t listen to music or a podcast between classes?
The best solution in this case is using a VPN. Since it hides your IP address and encrypts your traffic, this service can help you easily bypass the school’s firewall. Using a VPN can also help you unblock iHeartRadio at work or any other place that has it blocked on its network.
Regarding a Smart DNS service, it’s unfortunately not going to work in this situation since it can’t bypass firewalls.
Get iHeartRadio Unblocked with SmartyDNS
If you are looking for ways to unblock iHeartRadio at school, work, or abroad, we’ve got you covered - we offer both Smart DNS and VPN services. Both of them feature high-speed servers, and you get to enjoy unlimited bandwidth as well.
What’s more, if you ever want to enjoy other music websites, you’ll be happy to know our Smart DNS can help you unblock 17 other music platforms (like Pandora Radio and Slacker Radio, for example). And if you’re looking for even more diversity, we should mention that SmartyDNS can give you access to 290+ websites from countries like:
- The US
- Canada
- Australia
- France
- Germany
- The UK
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Poland
How to Get iHeartRadio Unblocked With SmartyDNS
- Sign up with SmartyDNS.
- Install our service on your favorite device with our user-friendly apps, or use our step-by-step tutorials to manually configure SmartyDNS on other devices.
- Get instant access to iHeartRadio no matter where you are in the world.
What Devices Can You Unblock iHeartRadio Outside US Territory on?
We want to offer you peak cross-platform compatibility, which is why we made sure SmartyDNS works on the following platforms:
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Apple TV
- Amazon Fire TV
- Samsung Smart TV
- XBOX
- Play Station
Test-Drive Our Service for Free First
Don’t worry - you don’t need to make a commitment straight off the bat. First, you can try out SmartyDNS free of charge with our three-day trial to see if it meets all your needs - no credit card details required.
What’s more, once you become a SmartyDNS user, you’ll still be covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee if the service doesn’t work as it should.
Why Is iHeartRadio so Popular?
iHeartRadio is a broadcast and online radio platform that lets you listen to any radio station you want. What’s more, you can easily create your own custom radio station that constantly evolves with your listening habits, and listen to your favorite tunes offline if you want.
Besides the music, you also get access to relevant news, artist bios, lyrics, an events section, and even podcasts.
Best of all - iHeartRadio is free to use.
The Bottom Line
iHeartRadio is a popular online radio platform that lets users listen to well-known artists and create their own custom radio stations. Unfortunately, if you’re not from the US, Canada, New Zealand, or Australia, you won’t be able to access iHeartRadio because it’ll be geo-blocked to you.
No need to worry, though - getting iHeartRadio unblocked is relatively easy. All you need to do is use a Smart DNS or a VPN service, and you’ll get instant access to the platform since they hide your real geo-location on the Internet.