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Apple TV to Support VPN Apps on tvOS 17
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Awesome news, hopefully my VPN will have an app and I'll be able to use it in the same way that I've used it on my phone or iPad.
Name one business that DOESN'T sell your information for their benefit or profit? Advertising, as much as we hate it, is part of any business model. Dontt want to be targeted with ads? Dontt use the internet. By the way, how did you get away from actual paper junk mail in your mailbox? The companies that send you unsolicited ads in the mail have your information too.
One of the MANY reasons why I like ExpressVPN...
ExpressVPN Privacy Policy
ExpressVPN is committed to protecting your privacy. Learn about what data we do and don't collect and how we collect, use, and store data.
www.expressvpn.com
It's not a perfect solution but I appreciate their transparency about what they do with the little information they have about who I am. TBH, I feel better about them knowing a little bit about me and actively keeping that info secure than FB knowing everything about me and trying to sell it to the highest bidder.
that's an interesting point, although plenty of Android / Google TV boxes do support browsers, and I don't hear people talking about their cheap Google TV PCs. maybe the difference is the Apple TV version would actually be good
I do share the desire for an Apple TV browser, although AirPlaying my iPad screen to the TV pretty much solves that, for some reason it doesn't totally scratch the itch for me. I don't know why.
anyway, excited for the VPN support, so far I've had to do it on my TV's built-in Google TV OS or else on my iPad with AirPlay / USB-C HDMI cable. (not always supported though)
I don't understand the worries about Apple somehow limiting or ruining VPN though, how could they do that (in reality?) Isn't VPN support kind of all or nothing? I guess there are different flavors of VPN, they could support a less useful one? But then wouldn't that spoil the "corporate" use case also?
I agree that talking about it in terms of "enterprise" is just the only legally permissible way they could market it, I'd have to think there's an implied wink and nudge there that they just could never say out loud. The fact that it took people a few days to even notice it shows they didn't go out of their way to promote it, surely not wanting to upset the content providers.
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Here's an example guide from ExpressVPN about how to set up your router so all your home traffic goes through a VPN.
I think ASUS is the recommended router brand for doing this, since they are one of the few routers that includes a VPN client on the router, while almost every other router that advertises VPN support only includes a VPN server for other clients to access. (ie to access your home network on the road)
Looks like ExpressVPN is now promoting their own Aircove router hardware, interesting. I haven't done this personally, just looked into it a little bit as a workaround for Apple TV previously not supporting VPN client apps.
The Apple TV today supports a BT keyboard - not sure if it supports a mouse at the same time or not. But KB + remote work together today.
I hope an Apple doesn’t restrict it. If they TRUELY care about privacy, then they’d allow VPN to work no matter what.
If they restrict it, it means they’re buddying up with the entertainment business, instead of caring about users, and that’s bad news and the wrong direction Apple should go.
For me personally, I’ll use it to watch Tampa Bay Ray games here in Orlando on MLB.tv. Since I don’t have live TV, there’s no way for me to watch it, and MLB.tv blacks it out cause they are greedy.
If they restrict it, it means they’re buddying up with the entertainment business, instead of caring about users, and that’s bad news and the wrong direction Apple should go.
For me personally, I’ll use it to watch Tampa Bay Ray games here in Orlando on MLB.tv. Since I don’t have live TV, there’s no way for me to watch it, and MLB.tv blacks it out cause they are greedy.
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Apple usually would rather you not do something than do something badly. If the Nintendo Wii was any indication of how on TV web browsing is, then we don't want it.
i'm not sure how useful this is going to be. i've had a "whole home" VPN going for years, and i had to bypass the appleTV around it because every single streaming app knows the IP address is not part of a "home ISP" address block and thus refuses to run. netflix is a notable exception but they just nerf themselves and lots of content is just silently unavailable when running thru the VPN.
i know that some people play whack-a-mole by changing VPN endpoints but as time goes by the streaming services find and block those IPs.
i know that some people play whack-a-mole by changing VPN endpoints but as time goes by the streaming services find and block those IPs.
To answer your first question - Proton?Name one business that DOESN'T sell your information for their benefit or profit? Advertising, as much as we hate it, is part of any business model. Dontt want to be targeted with ads? Dontt use the internet. By the way, how did you get away from actual paper junk mail in your mailbox? The companies that send you unsolicited ads in the mail have your information too.
One of the MANY reasons why I like ExpressVPN...
ExpressVPN Privacy Policy
ExpressVPN is committed to protecting your privacy. Learn about what data we do and don't collect and how we collect, use, and store data.
View attachment 2215734
It's not a perfect solution but I appreciate their transparency about what they do with the little information they have about who I am. TBH, I feel better about them knowing a little bit about me and actively keeping that info secure than FB knowing everything about me and trying to sell it to the highest bidder.
As for ExpressVPN, a year ago, weren’t they purchased for $1 billion by Kape Technologies (half of which is owned by Israeli ex-con multibillionaire Teddy Sagi - who spent time in jail in the 90s for insider trading), a company which also owns CyberGhost, Zenmate and Private Internet Access.
Disclosing brand ownership and corporate structure is one way that a VPN provider can demonstrate transparency, which ExpressVPN does not.
A VPN should make it easy for you to access information about its privacy and data retention policies, the companies it partners with, and which countries’ laws it must comply with. ExpressVPN does not.
MLB will still catch you and you will be banned from signing up again, at least that is what I have heard
What's the point, out of curiosity? When I go to Amazon.com, why would I want all my traffic to go through some server somewhere in the US or other country instead of direct?
It's about time. Being able to change the location will be great for some streaming services.
I sincerely hope you are not using their VPN.
Nope. This used to be true, but ExpressVPN was bought out by a data mining company. Snowden said to avoid them after this took place. They are complete and utter garbage and I can't recommend them anymore. You should switch to NordVPN or MullvadVPN. NordVPN has been audited for years to show they don't have any user data retention. MullvadVPN was recently raided and had zero user data to cough up. The more secure of these two is Mullvad, but the speeds are slower.Name one business that DOESN'T sell your information for their benefit or profit? Advertising, as much as we hate it, is part of any business model. Dontt want to be targeted with ads? Dontt use the internet. By the way, how did you get away from actual paper junk mail in your mailbox? The companies that send you unsolicited ads in the mail have your information too.
One of the MANY reasons why I like ExpressVPN...
ExpressVPN Privacy Policy
ExpressVPN is committed to protecting your privacy. Learn about what data we do and don't collect and how we collect, use, and store data.
View attachment 2215734
It's not a perfect solution but I appreciate their transparency about what they do with the little information they have about who I am. TBH, I feel better about them knowing a little bit about me and actively keeping that info secure than FB knowing everything about me and trying to sell it to the highest bidder.
Some people have a bad taste from Nord when they were hacked and didn't let anyone know until later, but the hack didn't reveal anyone's data for the very reason they have a zero logs policy. Nothing can be tied to anyone with how their infrastructure is set up. But some people don't trust them anymore. I still don't have a problem with them. But I may go Mullvad for a while to support the smaller company.
FYI - Unlocator smart DNS already works to let you get around the MLB.tv geo-blackouts.
Wont work. MLB uses more than just IP for location identification. They use Apple's logic which has some sort of black magic that knows Im not in Chicago even though my router has a VPN client set up to protect it's traffic.
HBO (Max barf) gives an error on my Apple TV when I have the router VPN turned on.
You can just create an account from another country and add it to the Apple TV. Switch users to install the app and then switch back to yours. I do this for a UK and Canada store.
Then I use strongdns and set that in the network settings on the Apple TV for iplayer viewing in Canada.
Doesn't this streaming via VPN depend on device and service? I can connect my iPhone to a VPN server back at my house but Xfinity Stream still knows the iPhone is in Puerto Rico or wherever thus preventing its use. On my old MacBook it works but I have to change my location and time zone manually on it back to our home's. If I want to use a Chromecast with that setup, the Chromecast has to be going through the tunnel back to the house, also.
Interesting. I knew they were bought out a while back but I guess I never heard or looked into the details.
I may just have to think about switching VPN's then. I looked into ProtonVPN earlier and it seemed pretty on par with ExVPN. I had heard of Nord's issues but maybe I'll look at them again.
I havent had any issues with ExVPN so thats why I dont have a problem with them. Even the non-biased VPN review sites always list ExVPN at the top of their lists but in hindsight...that seems suspicious.