How to Get American Netflix on iPad in Australia [2022 Guide]
If you’re wondering how to get American Netflix on iPad in Australia, you’ve come to the right place. The US edition of Netflix is inaccessible in Australia due to TV and licensing rights. However, you can still watch it from Australia on your iPad using your Netflix Australia login and a VPN.
The trick is to find the best Netflix VPN that can change your Australian IP to a US IP and make Netflix think you’re based in America. ExpressVPN, PureVPN, and Surfshark are some of the best VPN services to get American Netflix in Australia on your iPad.
We’re assuming you already have a Netflix Australia account and the Netflix iOS app installed on your iPad. If not, you should get these sorted out first before proceeding any further. To subscribe to Netflix Australia, head over to https://www.netflix.com/au/, and simply follow the instructions. Avoid signing up directly from your iTunes account. You can download the Netflix app from Apple Store.
Once you have your Netflix Australia subscription and Netflix iOS app ready, you can move to the main steps of getting American Netflix on your iPad.
How to Get American Netflix on iPad in Australia
To get American Netflix on your Australian iPad, all you need to do is:
- Sign up for a VPN that works with Netflix USA by going to the VPN provider’s website and purchasing a service plan. ExpressVPN is our top choice VPN. It’s affordable, reasonably fast, and easy to use.
- Set up your VPN credentials and download the VPN app on your iPad. It should be available on Apple Store. Alternatively, you can also download the apk file and run the installation manually.
- Launch the VPN and connect to a US server. This would give you access to American Netflix. Some VPNs also offer specially-optimized servers for Netflix. You can try these servers too.
- Open your Netflix iOS app. Enter your Netflix Australia username and password to log in. If you are already logged into the app, log out and then log in again to reset your Netflix location.
- Congratulations, you can now browse the Netflix USA library. Search for exclusive US titles, such as Legacies and Tudors, to verify if everything is working. Start enjoying your favourite American Netflix shows and movies.
Best VPNs to Get American Netflix on iPad in Australia
We analyzed over seventy VPN services to find the top 3 VPNs to watch US Netflix on iPad in Australia. The test set contained scores from 255+ tests, conducted across a period of six weeks. Here are our summarized findings:
1. ExpressVPN (Top-rated VPN to get American Netflix on iPad)
ExpressVPN hails from the British Virgin Islands. It has 3000+ servers in 94 countries. The service provides extremely stable connections even on slow networks, which is excellent if you live in the outback where the internet signal quality is not too great.
You get twenty-four server locations for US Netflix on your iPad. All, except Los Angeles – 3, unblock the American version of Netflix with ease. We randomly tested four locations to get an idea of the streaming speed. The tools reported an average score of 56.4 Mbps on an original 65 Mbps connection, making ExpressVPN the fastest VPN we have tested till date.
In terms of security, ExpressVPN uses some of the most advanced features to secure your web traffic. Its iOS app supports OpenVPN (UDP/TCP) and IKEv2 protocols to ensure your data is protected at all times during transfer. A PFS cryptography feature further reduces the risks of a breach.
You can get ExpressVPN for AU$10.35/mo (US$ 6.67/mo) - Save up to 49% with exclusive 1-year plans + 3 months free on a 1-year + 3 free months plan with a 30-day money-back guarantee. That’s slightly more expensive than the competition but definitely worth the money.
In case you want more details about this provider, make sure to go through the ExpressVPN review.
2. PureVPN (Beginner-friendly VPN to get American Netflix on iPad)
PureVPN is a Hong Kong-based VPN service, operating 6500+ servers in 140 countries worldwide. It offers a dedicated iOS app, available on the Apple Store. The app encrypts your iPad traffic using the IKEv2 tunneling protocol.
You can watch American Netflix on PureVPN using either the Internet Freedom mode or the Streaming mode. With the former, you pick servers manually for connection. While with the latter, you get a fully optimized server dedicated solely to Netflix USA. That’s a useful feature to have and makes the app extremely easy to use.
In terms of speed, PureVPN gives a fairly decent performance. We tested the special Netflix US server, which clocked an average speed of 42.4 Mbps on a 65Mbps internet connection. Not blazing fast, but good enough to watch Netflix in HD or even 4K resolution.
You can get PureVPN for $3.33/mo on a 2-year plan. If you don’t like the service, you can cancel your subscription within 31 days and get a full refund.
3. Surfshark (Cheapest VPN to Get American Netflix on iPad)
Like ExpressVPN, Surfshark also operates from the British Virgin Islands and has 3200+ servers in 62 countries. It’s one of the few VPNs that unblock American Netflix in Australia and runs stably on iOS devices, including the iPad.
The company provides 24 server locations in the US. Of these, eighteen access Netflix without any problems. Those that fail to connect or can be inconsistent include Detroit, Tampa, Dallas, San Francisco, Manassas, and Bend. You can expect average download speeds of around 47Mbps on a 65Mbps connection when watching Netflix on the Surfshark iOS app.
Surfshark is a safe VPN to use. It protects your iPad communications using IKEv2, OpenVPN, and WireGuard tunneling protocols. The latter has just been rolled out and is available to customers in only a few countries, which include Australia.
You can get Surfshark for AU$3.86/mo (US$ 2.49/mo) - Save up to 77% with exclusive 2-year plan + 30-day money-back guarantee on a 2-year + 2 months free plan. That’s the cheapest VPN subscription on the market. All Surfshark purchases are secured by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Why you need a VPN to watch American Netflix in Australia on your iPad
Netflix uses your IP address to determine your existing location and then serves you content based on that. So if you’re in Australia, it shows you the Australian version of its service. Likewise, if someone signs in from the UK, they get British Netflix. To access American Netflix from Australia, you, therefore, need a US IP address. That’s only possible if you fly to the United States (which, of course, makes no sense), or you use a VPN that routes your connection through a server in the USA.
It’s worth noting not all VPNs can trick Netflix, though. Netflix is well aware of how VPN services have exploited its system in the past. It now uses anti-VPN technology to track and take down VPN sign-in attempts. It’s vital you use a reliable VPN service to get American Netflix on your Australian iPad.
Don’t worry; we have already compiled a list of iPad-compatible VPNs that unblock American Netflix in Australia.
Can I use a free VPN to get American Netflix on iPad in Australia?
Completely free VPNs don’t work with Netflix. We doubt they can be of any help to you. Plus, they aren’t safe to use either and can contain malware and viruses. Above all, some free VPNs even log your activities, putting your online privacy at risk.
Still, if you want to use a free VPN to get American Netflix on your Australian iPad, we recommend taking advantage of premium VPNs and their free trials. Obviously, these come with their own limitations, but they are safe to use.
American Netflix DNS codes – Do they work for iPad?
Some vendors, including VPN companies, offer DNS codes to get American Netflix on iPad in Australia. They claim they work fine. We don’t advise using these codes because they aren’t reliable most times. And they don’t certainly provide you the protection of a VPN either.
Netflix not working on iPad – What to do?
If you’re struggling to connect to American Netflix on your Australian iPad, you can try the following fixes:
- Switch to a different Wi-Fi network. It could be possible that your current internet connection is secured by a firewall (or is simply slow) and can’t connect to the VPN server.
- Change your VPN server and verify that your location says the US. Sometimes, VPN servers can leak your IP address and expose your true location.
- Make sure the Netflix app installed on your iPad is compatible with your current iOS version. An unsupported Netflix app may not work.
- Reset the Netflix app from iPad settings.
- Delete and reinstall the Netflix app.
Summary
American Netflix is geo-blocked outside the US, but you can watch it from Australia on your iPad using a reliable VPN service. ExpressVPN, PureVPN, and Surfshark are our top recommendations.
If you’re wondering about US Netflix cost then its from AU$14.75/US $9.99 per month (Basic) to AU$29.51/US$19.99/month per month (for premium)
Other things you’ll need are an active Netflix Australia account and the Netflix app for iOS. Avoid using a free VPN or DNS services as these aren’t reliable but if you are cash-strapped and don’t want to spend on a premium VPN, then look for a free VPN in Australia. Enjoy binge-watching on the go!