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Watch BBC iPlayer in Costa Rica, Live Broadcast for FREE. Photo Best Smart DNS Today

Watch BBC iPlayer in Costa Rica

As previously mentioned, there are a few methods how you can unblock BBC iPlayer outside United Kingdom. Here are the best three options how you can stream iPlayer in Costa Rica:

*Smart DNS

*Virtual Private Network

*Browser Extension

All three tools allow you to hide your Costa Rica IP address and make it look like you are physically in United Kingdom. We have tested many tools, but not all are working with BBC iPlayer. Therefore continue reading to learn more about each of the tools that still allow you to watch iPlayer in Costa Rica.

Option 1: Smart DNS – Fast iPlayer content streaming

Smart DNS is our top recommendation for opening BBC iPlayer in Costa Rica. It provides excellent speeds. Therefore smartdns allows you to stream iPlayer content with no problems anywhere in the world. If you are looking to unblock iPlayer and other streaming services from other countries, then smart DNS for Costa Rica is the right tool to have. However, it doesn’t encrypt your traffic therefore if you prefer that Costa Rican ISP and government don’t get hold of your online activities then we recommend finding out more about Option 2.

Option 2: Virtual Private Network – Provides online privacy

The most common method of hiding Costa Rican IP address. By connecting to British VPN proxy server, it changes your IP to Costa Rica and hides your actual location. Furthermore, using VPN in Costa Rica provides extra privacy when surfing the web. It sends your web browsing activity through a secure tunnel, encrypting your private data. Therefore, you can access iPlayer in Costa Rica entirely securely and anonymously.

Option 3: Browser Extension – Often blocked by BBC iPlayer

If using smart DNS or VPN service for easy access to iPlayer outside United Kingdom sounds like a hassle then you can try out various browser extensions. There are some free and a few subscription-based extensions for BBC iPlayer. However, iPlayer is aware of many Costa Rican using it to route their traffic through British proxy server for iPlayer, so often these browser extensions are cracked down.

One of the best proxy browser extensions for watching BBC iPlayer outside United Kingdom is Proxymate. Proxymate service works with Chrome, Android, iOS and other operating systems to let you bypass iPlayer blocks in Costa Rica.

If you wish to try out some other web browser extension for iPlayer, then make sure to do your research since some of them can be malicious. Furthermore, they do not guarantee BBC iPlayer access in Costa Rica.

Why don’t some tools work with BBC iPlayer?

iPlayer knows that there are many tools available to unblock it in Costa Rica and other locations around the world. Therefore, BBC iPlayer uses some special technology to detect fake British IP addresses and block it. Thus, many browser extensions, smart DNS, and even VPNs are blocked by iPlayer.

Fortunately, the most reliable and trusted service providers have found a way to keep their operations stable and allow iPlayer access from Costa Rica. The best tools for opening iPlayer works also in Cook Islands, Croatia and other places across the globe.

Is it safe to unblock iPlayer in Costa Rica?

The answer to the question whether it is safe to your access BBC iPlayer outside United Kingdom is yes and no. It is entirely safe if you use a VPN for iPlayer. However, if you choose to use SmartDNS or a browser extension, then you may need to attend to Costa Rican ISP or government in case they find your online activities suspicious.

How to sign up to the BBC in Costa Rica

Without a VPN you won't be able to sign up or watch anything from the BBC if you're outside the UK.

If you want to get access, all you need to do is sign up to a service like ExpressVPN, change your location to the UK, and head over to the BBC website as usual. Then sign up as outlined above with a date of birth, email and postcode, and get watching.

Seeing as there's no payment necessary to watch BBC iPlayer live, anyone from anywhere can sign up and sign in if they've used a VPN to spoof their location.

BBC iPlayer accounts and the UK TV Licence

The BBC requires that anyone using iPlayer is a UK TV Licence holder. We have a separate guide to who needs a TV Licence.

You also need a BBC account, which requires a UK postcode (and you need to be over 13 years old).

BBC iPlayer account

When you register for a BBC account (which is free) you'll need to give your date of birth, gender, and email address, along with a valid UK postcode.

The BBC says that the aim of the account isn't to pursue iPlayer users who haven't paid for a TV Licence, but admitted that it will cross-reference the email addresses with people who've previously claimed not to need a licence.

If you're a British resident with a paid-up licence fee, simply sign into your BBC account and use a VPN service as described above. You're still breaking the Ts and Cs by watching via a VPN, just like anyone abroad who signs up with a fake UK address.

What can you watch on BBC iPlayer?

BBC iPlayer includes multiple channels, and they’re as follows:

BBC One (Live Stream)

Radio 1

BBC Two

CBBC

BBC Four

BBC News

CBeebies

BBC Three

BBC Scotland

S4C

BBC Parliament

BBC Alba

Most popular BBC titles:

EastEnders

Line of Duty

The Great British Sewing Bee

Glow-Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star

Call the Midwife

The Syndicate

Starstruck

Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty

Holby City

The Detectives: Fighting Organized Crime

All That Glitters: Britain’s Next Jewelry Star

Keeping Faith

The Man with the Iron Heart

Bloodland

You can also resume watching an episode even if you've switched between devices. Sign into your account and iPlayer syncs your progress for everything you’ve been watching across all your devices.

This way, you can pause an episode on your smartphone and seamlessly continue watching it on your laptop.

Where’s my viewing history on BBC iPlayer?

Go to the My Programmes section, and open the 'watching' tab – this is where all your watched shows are listed in chronological order. Here you can resume your current programme, start the next one, see how many episodes are available of that series and so on.

Next episodes will be displayed automatically once you’ve finished the current one.

On the iPlayer site, click the ‘X’ next to each show to remove it from your list. To clear your entire history, click that option right at the bottom of the Watching page. You can’t delete individual shows on the mobile app; you need to go into settings and clear the entire history.

Can I bookmark or save shows to watch later?

Tap the 'add' icon that pops up for each show, and it goes onto your 'Added' list (formerly 'Favourites'). This is a great way of saving shows that you want to watch for later.

It also lets you keep track of any shows that may be worth a repeat viewing in the future, such as superb BBC Four music documentaries or certain films like Pride.

To delete shows from the Added list, simply tap the 'remove' button on each show to take it off the list.

Order the list alphabetically or chronologically, according to broadcast date, by tapping the two options at the top of the list.

You can’t buy BBC shows from its online store anymore

BBC Store’s brief stint is over. The digital download store, which let you buy SD and HD digital copies of classic and new BBC programmes, closed down in November 2017 due to low demand and stiff competition from Netflix and Amazon Video.

If you have bought any content through the store, BBC is offering a full refund of your entire purchasing history (or the equivalent amount in Amazon vouchers).

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