How to Get U.S.-only iPhone Apps with Hotspot Shield

hotspot shield logo With a few easy steps that take only minutes to complete, iPhone users the world round can get access to some (but not all) of the iPhone Apps that are only available in the U.S.. I’m surprised it took me so long to try this.  I just used it to d0wnload the Lose It! which was previously not available to me in Canada.

[Note: Rogers is somehow still blocking Pandora and Skype even when I removed the SIM  card. Grrr! Here’s a Skype iPhone App workaround for Canadians – I haven’t tried it yet.]

configuring a vpn on the iphone with hotspot shield Setup is a breeze. It took me about two minutes. You essentially set up a VPN connection to the U.S. through the HotSpot Shield servers. This, of course, would also be useful for safe surfing at coffee shops and other wifi locations.

Once you have set up your account, configured and activated the VPN (see instructions below), navigate to the App Store on your iPhone. Search for the app you want and (if its there) download it. It’s that simple.

Survives Desktop Sync

I was concerned that if I downloaded apps this way, they would be wiped out after I synced my iPhone with iTunes to my desktop. Not so. The sync went fine and the apps remained on the iPhone.

No Need to Keep VPN Turned On

You only need to activate the VPN to download the app. Once downloaded, you can use the app with the VPN shut off.

SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

These instructions were cribbed from the Hotspot Shield site here. See that site for pictures and any updated instructions. You’ll need to go there anyway to get an account (with only one mouse click) as described below.

Configure iPhone

Make sure that Wi-Fi is marked "OFF" in: 
Settings -> Wi-Fi

Then find the VPN settings in:
Settings -> General -> Network -> VPN -> Add VPN Configuration:

  • Select the L2TP tab/pane
  • Description: HotspotShield
  • Server: 64.55.144.10
  • Account: [insert account number – see below]
  • RSA SecurID: OFF
  • Password: [insert password – see below]
  • Secret: password
  • Send all traffic: ON

Get Account & Password

Getting an account is easy. Click on the GetAccountID button on this page. With one click you’ll have your account and password. You’ll need to fill them into the appropriate place as indicated above.

Save Settings

You are now done. Save the settings and hit the "HOME" button to quit. Make sure to turn Wi-Fi back "ON".

Activate

To activate Hotspot Shield on your iPhone, the VPN setting needs to be turned on. From "HOME" menu, go to Settings and click the "On" tab for VPN. Your Status will change to "CONNECTED" and the VPN icon will appear on top in the iPhone Tray when complete. If you cannot connect to the VPN immediately, power down your iPhone, turn it back on, and turn the VPN to "ON".

If you cannot connect to VPN immediately, power down your iPhone, turn it back on, and turn VPN to "ON" in "Settings".

Comments

comments

26 Replies to “How to Get U.S.-only iPhone Apps with Hotspot Shield”

  1. I followed the instructions but I am also getting an error message “The L2TP-VPN server did not respond. Try reconnecting. If the problem continues, verify your settings and contact your administrator.” nnI get that error message using the server address here and the address on the user/password claim page. nnI’m in the US still but ill be going overseas for a while soon.

  2. Hotspot Shield is still working for me from Canada. I have had it installed for some time now. The message you got seems to imply the service is only temporarily down. But I don’t know. nnDragon Dictation is now available through the iTunes store for free in Canada at least. nnFrankly, I haven’t tried to use this for awhile so I’m not sure how great of a solution it is any more.nn…Dale

  3. Dale, nnI’ve tried to follow your instructions on how to get US Apps when outside of the US but I receive the following error message when I try to get a Hot Spot ID: We are unable to provide connection ID’s at this time. Please try again later.nnIs it shut down temporarily or permanently? nnAny help would be greatly appreciated as there are some US apps like Dragon Dictation that I would really like to use.nn

  4. Ahhhh, this does not work for me and I don’t know of anything I’m doing wrong. Could you post a set up video on You Tube? That would be helpful. n Thanks.

  5. Excellent. I’ll be keen to know which U.S.-only apps you are successful at downloading with this trick.rnrn…Dale

  6. I appreciate this. I have heard about it and hadn’t done myself yet. I am going to get it downloaded onto my phone

  7. It wasn’t Hotspot shield – it was a different service which I paid for, but they bury their connectivity details into a Windows executable/connection manager to prevent you from abusing it. I want to use that VPN connection on my iPhone to download the BBC app and then stream the video. I didn’t research/fight it long, tho. Gave up.

  8. I presume you weren’t using Hotspot Shield’s servers than Dave? Interesting idea. I presume you had the BBC video app some how and then were trying to use it in the U.S.?

  9. I tried to do similar to stream the BBC’s video app from the UK and couldn’t pull it off as my VPN service provider didn’t enumerate all the settings. Hm, maybe I’ll try again with a different host.

  10. I tried to do similar to stream the BBC's video app from the UK and couldn't pull it off as my VPN service provider didn't enumerate all the settings. Hm, maybe I'll try again with a different host.

  11. I presume you weren't using Hotspot Shield's servers than Dave? Interesting idea. I presume you had the BBC video app some how and then were trying to use it in the U.S.?

  12. It wasn't Hotspot shield – it was a different service which I paid for, but they bury their connectivity details into a Windows executable/connection manager to prevent you from abusing it. I want to use that VPN connection on my iPhone to download the BBC app and then stream the video. I didn't research/fight it long, tho. Gave up.

  13. Ahhhh, this does not work for me and I don't know of anything I'm doing wrong. Could you post a set up video on You Tube? That would be helpful.
    Thanks.

  14. Dale,

    I've tried to follow your instructions on how to get US Apps when outside of the US but I receive the following error message when I try to get a Hot Spot ID: We are unable to provide connection ID's at this time. Please try again later.

    Is it shut down temporarily or permanently?

    Any help would be greatly appreciated as there are some US apps like Dragon Dictation that I would really like to use.

  15. Hotspot Shield is still working for me from Canada. I have had it installed for some time now. The message you got seems to imply the service is only temporarily down. But I don't know.

    Dragon Dictation is now available through the iTunes store for free in Canada at least.

    Frankly, I haven't tried to use this for awhile so I'm not sure how great of a solution it is any more.

    …Dale

  16. I followed the instructions but I am also getting an error message “The L2TP-VPN server did not respond. Try reconnecting. If the problem continues, verify your settings and contact your administrator.”

    I get that error message using the server address here and the address on the user/password claim page.

    I'm in the US still but ill be going overseas for a while soon.

  17. i followed all instruction and restarted my iphone too, but it cannot connect to vpn. i tried with and without wifi. it did not help.

  18. I'm having the same problem as Tony and jones. Does anyone know how to solve it?

Comments are closed.