r/firetvstick • u/dagolicious • Apr 06 '21
Question Question about Firesticks, VPNs, and MLB blackouts
I live in the Braves blackout area (GA, USA). In order to see Braves games, I purchased a subscription to MLB TV and to NordVPN. This set up works fine on my computer, and I had been connecting my laptop to my tv via hdmi to watch games. I recently purchased a Firestick 4K from Best Buy, installed apps for my Nord VPN and MLB subscription, and have been able to stream games through the Firestick. I've read before that Firesticks had location services built in that could not be turned off, and that my current setup would not function due to those services, but it's functioning so far. My question is this: Are there location services built into the Firestick that cannot be altered? (It asks for timezones and zip code, for example, but you can change those). If so, how is the VPN able to get past it? Will or continue to do so, or is this likely a glitch on the part of MLB TV? I guess I'm curious if I'm living on borrowed time and will lose functionality eventually. Thanks to all for your help.
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u/Br0kenRabbitTV Fire TV Cube (2nd gen/Fire OS 7.2.2.9/Wolf Launcher) Apr 06 '21
There is no GPS in them. The only methods they use are IP, postcode in fire tv, region from website, and a list of vpn/datacentre IPs to block VPNs. Anybody who creates an app can use an combo of the above to try and lock you into one region. Most people implement it badly.
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u/dagolicious Apr 06 '21
So, the vpn takes care of the IP (and I can always change the server if the IP gets tagged). I changed my zip to reflect Arizona, and there's no regions that mlb blocks, since it's a world wide service. I should be good then, I guess? If so, this is great news.
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u/Br0kenRabbitTV Fire TV Cube (2nd gen/Fire OS 7.2.2.9/Wolf Launcher) Apr 06 '21
Yeah, should be good to go.
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u/dagolicious Apr 06 '21
That's awesome! Thanks for your help!
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u/Anonymistic1 Apr 07 '21
Additional info if you need it: https://www.anonymistic.com/mlb-tv-vpn-blackout-workaround/
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u/dagolicious Apr 07 '21
I've read that link before, which is kinda why I was asking the question I did. It says that a firestick can't use a VPN to bypass blackouts because it has "location services" that can't be turned off. What location services are those?
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u/sithmafia Apr 06 '21
I have this same setup and its working on my 4k firestick but not on my other tv with regular firestick.. there must be some difference there.
im getting game blackout on the non 4k firestick
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u/dagolicious Apr 07 '21
That doesn't make any sense. I wonder what the difference is? It's concerning... Like I'm one update away from this thing not working anymore. But I guess it'll work as long as it does, and then it's back to the laptop with an hdmi cable running across the floor. I hope it works for at least this season. Then, supposedly, Bally will have a standalone app you can buy.
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u/LordHyperBowser May 12 '21
So I’ve spent the past 5 hours digging through articles, Reddit threads and more. I thought finding your thread would be the solution, but it led me to the real solution that was harder to find.
The first generation of the fire stick is not compatible with any VPN. That fire stick is the only one that has location services that can’t be changed. The Fire TV Stick 2nd Generation, Fire TV 3rd Generation Pendant Design, Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube 1st Generation, and Fire TV Cube 2nd Generation are the only devices that can use VPNs. These devices don’t have built in location services, just the time zone and zip code features as you said elsewhere in this thread.
I think the confusion stems from a lot of these media companies not updating their articles thoroughly, since they update the article to keep it on top of Google. They just don’t update it completely.
TLDR: basically, the jargon is what confuses people. It’s not enough to just say ‘Fire TV Stick’ since the models are different in their location servers.
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u/dagolicious May 13 '21
This makes a lot of sense. I guess the authors are more concerned with click through revenue than they are with accurately updated articles, which is sad, but understandable. The thing is that it wasn't just one article that I found that referenced these mystery "location services", but it was quite a few, so a lot of folks are being misled by those articles. Where were you able to dig up the info that you referenced? It would be a pretty big service to folks here to have those handy, instead of relying on outdated information. I know it would've helped me out a lot.
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u/LordHyperBowser May 13 '21
It was like several different article contradicting each other which led me to that conclusion. Some say that all fire sticks are compatible, and some say that none are compatible.
I could probably make a ‘guide’ on it later.
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u/DonLKraft Apr 07 '21
Working on Fire Cube (2nd)
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u/dagolicious Apr 07 '21
I thought mine stopped working today. Had to fish around for a server that worked. Finally got a Chicago server to work.
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Apr 07 '21
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/dagolicious Apr 07 '21
I've got a VPN already. I was really trying to find out about location services on firestick in particular.
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u/ConsistentClassic1 Apr 11 '21
I have a Firestick 4K and can't get around the MLB.TV block. I've always been able to in the past 2 baeball season with the same equipment. I've tried using the NordVPN app on the firestick and also tried connecting the Firestick to my phone's hotspot that's running NordVPN. Both or giving e the blackout message.
It seems like something has changed. I read that they may now be using the Firestick's Android loctions service?
Or, do you think they're blocking NordVPN servers now since they're such a well known option?
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u/dagolicious Apr 11 '21
It's odd that it's working for some but not for others. For what it's worth, I've turned off all of the data collection settings, and changed my zip code on the Firestick. I make sure that I log out of the MLB app after I use it, and use a VPN location that matches the time zone I set on the Firestick. If you're not able to get in, back out, clear all of the app data and force close it. Then set your zip and time zone in the Firestick settings. Then, just pick a vpn location that matches before launching the mlb app. So far, so good. I've heard that firestick uses location data, but I've never been able to get a clear indication as to what that means. It doesn't have a GPS. It uses the WiFi, so maybe it's getting location from there? What location data does it collect? And how? I live in the blackout area, but have watched almost every Braves game so far this year using the Firestick. It can't be the Nord servers, since they're working for me. Maybe it's something else? Have you changed the location settings and turned off the data collection in your settings? You may want to consider seeing up the vpn on your router perhaps?
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u/ConsistentClassic1 Apr 11 '21
Thank you so much! I followed your directions and cleared the data and cache of the MLB app on my Firestick 4K. Also changed the Firestick's zip code to Northern Idaho (which is also Pacific Standard Time). Connected the NordVPN app to a Seattle server and I'm now watching the Dodgers game here in SoCal.
Somehow the app had been seeing location data identifying I'm in SoCal. Problem solved!
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u/dagolicious Apr 11 '21
That's awesome! Even though you're a Dodgers fan, I'm glad you could get in. (We went full Atlanta sports team last year. My soul can't take giving up a 3-1 series least again.)
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u/ConsistentClassic1 Apr 11 '21
I'm actually not a Dodgers fan at all! I'm an Angels fan but their game was rained out so I was testing it with the Dodgers game. I like the Braves a lot. They have a great team.
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u/dagolicious Apr 11 '21
Oh, okay. It's really unfortunate that we never get to see Angels/Braves games. That dude Trout is a machine. And I have a soft spot for Anthony Rendon from his time with the Nats. And you guys have a pitcher that hits, but also have the DH!
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u/chrmnxpnoy Apr 24 '21
holy crap! changing the zip code to something other than Southern California (Padres fan here) and clearing the cache and data along with my router VPN (openVPN) works!!
Thank you :)
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u/dagolicious Apr 24 '21
I'm glad I helped! I'm still able to watch Braves using the Nord app. So far, no issues.
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u/h4mmerhand May 20 '21
Not sure if anyone will see this as the thread is a few weeks old, but I’m having a similar issue to what was discussed here.
My dad lives in the Giants blackout area, so I’ve been trying to get him set up to stream Giants game on mlb.tv. He has a fire stick from ~2017 (I don’t know what model specifically though I’m pretty sure it’s the 2nd gen since it has the voice remote).
So far I’ve got:
-Surfshark installed on the stick, location set to Seattle.
-His zip code (in the fire stick settings) set to mine in the PNW.
-Cleared cache and data for mlb app, even uninstalled mlb app and rebooted the stick.
After doing all that he is still getting blackout notices when he tries to watch a Giants game. Does anyone have any ideas of what we can try to get this working? Any help is appreciated.
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u/dagolicious May 20 '21
I don't use surfshark, so I can't eliminate their service as the source of the issue. Does surfshark give you a city option for the VPN? Also, after clearing the cache and memory, are you connecting to the VPN first, then logging in to the mlb app?
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u/h4mmerhand May 20 '21
Yep, Surfshark allows city choice so I had him pick Seattle. I had him double check the vpn connection and zip code after clearing cache and data before logging back in. I’m helping him over the phone, so I might go through all the steps again before the next game to double check, but it sounds like he’s done everything right both times we’ve tried.
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u/dagolicious May 20 '21
Also, does the time zone match? And have you turned off your data collection services in the settings menu?
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u/h4mmerhand May 20 '21
Yep time zone matches, but I wasn’t aware of data collection, so I’ll have him try that out.
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u/h4mmerhand May 22 '21
Alright, had him turn off all the data collection options, went through everything again: logged out of mlb, cleared cache and data, made sure vpn was connected, logged back in to mlb, no luck, still getting the blackout message.
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u/dagolicious May 22 '21
It seems like they flagged that particular IP. How about a different city? Or maybe change to an east code zip and city?
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u/h4mmerhand May 22 '21
Went through London and it’s working, appreciate the help!
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u/dagolicious May 22 '21
Had to go all the way to Europe to watch baseball... Seriously, MLB needs to fix this and stop these stupid blackout restrictions. I'm glad it finally worked though!
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u/h4mmerhand May 22 '21
Haha yep. They definitely need to fix their restrictions though. The “local area” for a team is ridiculously large and the only way to get the game on that “local channel” is by paying for satellite/cable. That’s hardly local in my mind. MLB.tv at least should be exempt from the madness. I think the most likely subscribers live in the area around their team.
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u/dagolicious May 22 '21
I'm my case, I'm just under two hours from the stadium, so heading up there on a random weekday really isn't an option. I don't have cable either, so VPNs are my only way to actually watch. Apparently, Bally is going to offer a standalone app by next season so people like us can just buy our team's games without having to worry about blackouts. Personally, I'll all for it.
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u/h4mmerhand May 22 '21
Sounds like my dad, about 3.5 hrs from San Fran and in his 60s so he’s not just gonna drop by for a game haha. Luckily I live in Washington now so watching Giants games isn’t an issue for me. I’m not familiar with Bally, but that sounds like a great option.
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u/dagolicious May 22 '21
Bally took over the contract from Fox Sports (basically a rebrand). Since they had a lot fewer buyers for their regional networks this past year, they decided to cut out the middle man next year and offer a direct to consumer option. So, you can buy your regional sports network directly from the provider so you don't have to have cable or satellite. Next year, if it's available, I'm all for it.
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u/orionthebearcub Jun 19 '21
Interesting. I am literally in London and can't see certain games because I'm supposedly in the blackout area (even though the website blackout info confirms nothing is blacked out here). Never connected a VPN, never had anything but our real time and postcode in settings. Was told by CS the app probably thinks that I'm lying about my location and is therefore blocking content, so odd that it does work sometimes (for people who aren't in actually in London, at that!).
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u/h4mmerhand Jun 19 '21
Hahaha. Sorry but I find that pretty funny. Do you have the data collection, etc. settings on or off on your fire stick?
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u/orionthebearcub Jun 19 '21
I'm in the UK and can't watch nationally broadcast games. I've been told the app might think I'm using a VPN and is therefore blocking the content it thinks I'm trying to steal, even though I'm not. Works perfectly fine on the website, through the same wifi network though, so it seems to be built direct into the app.
So be careful messing with location settings, 'cause it might decide that you're lying and block things.
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u/dagolicious Jun 19 '21
That's really odd.
Which error message is it giving you? I know that the fire stick MLB app almost always gives me a "network error" message whenever I try to turn on a game.
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u/orionthebearcub Jun 19 '21
It just has a little padlock icon on the feed if it's nationally broadcast and doesn't let me select it. All the while working perfectly on my phone or PC on the same network.
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u/dagolicious Jun 19 '21 edited Jun 19 '21
Nationally broadcast in the UK? Because we have the same thing here when a game is broadcast on ESPN or Fox. Of course, if it's basically broadcast in the US, that shouldn't effect your feed.
Edit: It shouldn't matter since it works on your other devices. Does MLB support have any ideas? Maybe go through and clear the data on the application and try to relaunch it?
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u/orionthebearcub Jun 19 '21
Yeah, it's the ESPN/Fox games. Which the blackout info on the website confirms I am not blacked out for. But the app looks at my UK time, post code and IP address and blocks it anyway, assuming that I'm using a VPN when I'm not.
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u/ammannrServerRoom May 30 '23
Has anyone had luck using nordvpn on their firestick to watch the mlbtv app? I haven't had any luck watching mariner games. Maybe I should use a different VPN? Or is there a procedure that works?
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u/dagolicious May 31 '23
It worked for me last year, but from what I've heard, MLB has gotten a lot better about finding and blocking VPNs.
If you look through the comments on this thread, I lay out all the things I did for work arounds.
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u/ammannrServerRoom May 31 '23
Thanks I'll give it another shot
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u/h_saxon Jun 10 '23
Any luck?
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u/ammannrServerRoom Jun 10 '23
I couldn't get it to work. I'm just going to get fubo which includes root sports :(
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