How to Fix: “Spotify is not Available in Your Country”

17-Nov-2023

As one of the world’s leading digital platforms for music, audiobooks, podcasts, and now video content, there’s a lot to like about Spotify, and with most of its functionality available for free, there’s every reason to use the service. That’s said, however, accessing the service can prove difficult as there are a variety of countries where Spotify is not available, which many users have discovered upon encountering the dreaded error message that reads: “Spotify is not available in your country”.

Needless to say, this can be pretty irritating. With more and more of the world’s biggest content creators and artists signing exclusive deals with the platform, being blocked from using Spotify could mean that you have no way to access your favorite podcasts or music. You’ll be relieved to hear, however, that there is a way to solve this issue with the magic of VPN technology.

In this blog, we’ll discuss why Spotify might be unavailable to you, outline how you’re being blocked, and explain exactly what you can do to get back on your favorite entertainment platform using a VPN.

Why is Spotify unavailable and how is it blocked?

Depending on where exactly you live, Spotify could be blocked for a variety of different reasons. Licensing agreements and copyright laws and regulations might be preventing the platform from offering its services to people in your region, for instance. Alternatively, your government may have introduced laws that prohibit Spotify from operating in your country, or Spotify may have chosen not to extend its service to your region because it’s simply not economically worthwhile for the company to do so.

If Spotify is blocked in your region, it is most likely being blocked using IP-based geo-blocking. “What that?” you ask. Let’s briefly explain.

When you connect to the Internet, your device is assigned an IP address, a unique numeric sequence that identifies it to websites and online platforms like Spotify. Since IP addresses are mapped to geographic regions using geolocation, Spotify can use it to determine your whereabouts. As such, Spotify can use your IP to impose restrictions on you based on where you’re browsing from.

So, if you want to unblock Spotify, you’ll need a way to change your IP, and this is where VPNs play their role.

How VPNs Can Unblock Spotify

Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, are ideal for getting around blocks because they’re specifically designed for anonymous browsing. Here’s how it works:

When using a VPN to go online, you get the option to connect to the Internet via one of a huge network of VPN servers in different parts of the world. Connecting through a VPN server will allow you to reroute your connection and create a buffer between your device and Spotify. That means that when you access Spotify with a VPN, the platform will not see your actual device IP, but rather the IP of the server you connected to. This means that you can appear as a user in a region where the service is supported and gain immediate access to all of its functions.

Unblocking Spotify with UrbanVPN

Unblocking Spotify with a VPN is extremely easy once you know how. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Download and install Urban VPN: If you haven’t already got a VPN installed, go to urban-vpn.com to download and set up a free VPN on your device. Choose your preferred option, then click ‘Free Download’. Browser extensions will be downloaded and installed via your app store, while the desktop client can be installed by running the downloadable .exe file and following the prompts.
2. Choose your server and get online: Run your VPN application. You will be presented with a variety of server location options. Choose the location you want, then click the play button to connect.
3. Enjoy Spotify: Once you checked that your VPN is working, open Spotify and log in. You should now be able to access all of the content available in the region of your VPN server!

If you’re on a premium Spotify plan, this is all you need to do. However, if you have a free plan, there are some restrictions to be aware of. For instance, free users can only use Spotify abroad for 14 days at a time, so you may need to change your location settings. Here’s how to do it:

• Open Spotify and log in.

• Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of your screen, and click “Account” in the drop-down menu.

• In your account overview, you will see your user details and location information. Click “Edit Profile”, then update your location, save the change, and you’re good to go!

Wrapping Up

With so much great content on offer on Spotify, it can be very frustrating to find yourself blocked from using the service. While you might initially despair upon seeing the “not available” message pop up on your screen, you needn’t worry, as a free VPN is all you need to get things back on track. By using UrbanVPN to change your location, you can easily bypass blocks on Spotify, regardless of where you are, and access all of your favorite audio and video content at the touch of a button.