How to watch Bilibili abroad when anime and documentaries are region-locked

For the Bilibili phone app, the Yunshiting Xiaodianshi TV app and the Bilibili website 简体中文繁體中文English

In short: outside China, most videos uploaded by Bilibili creators play as usual. What gets blocked is mainly the licensed content: anime, Chinese animation, documentaries, movies and TV series. Switch on the moon gate in Homeway, fully close Bilibili and reopen it, and titles marked "mainland China only" will play. It works on phones, on TV (Yunshiting Xiaodianshi) and in a desktop browser, and the video still streams from the server nearest to you.

What you'll run into on Bilibili abroad

• Anime, Chinese animation, documentaries, movies and series say they can only be watched in mainland China, or only the trailer plays;
• a show doesn't appear in search results, or opening it says it isn't available in your region;
• some live rooms and live sports can't be watched from abroad;
• ordinary videos uploaded by creators are usually fine, which is why some videos play and others don't.

The cause is the same as on other Chinese video platforms: rights holders often license content for mainland China only, and when you press play, Bilibili works out where you are from where the request comes from. It has nothing to do with a Premium (Da Huiyuan) membership; members abroad are blocked too. For more detail, see "Only available in mainland China" errors.

"Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan only" is a different thing

Some anime on Bilibili is marked "Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan only". Those versions are licensed only for those regions, the opposite of "mainland China only". Homeway lifts the mainland China restriction: with it on, Bilibili treats you as being in mainland China, so versions licensed only for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan still won't play.

If you hit one of these, search for a mainland version of the same title. If only the Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan version exists, it can't be watched in mainland China either, and Homeway can't help with it.

How Bilibili's international version (bilibili.tv) differs

Bilibili runs an international version, bilibili.tv, for users outside China. It works abroad without Homeway, but its catalogue, interface and community are different: it focuses on anime, and much of the anime, documentaries, creator content and live streaming on the Chinese version isn't there.

Homeway supports the Chinese version: the Bilibili phone app, Yunshiting Xiaodianshi on TV and the Bilibili website on a computer. If you're used to the Chinese version's danmaku comments, follows and favourites, keep using it with Homeway on; your account and data stay the same.

Getting started on phone, TV and computer

Phone

1. On Android, follow the Android install guide. On iPhone and iPad, get Homeway from the App Store.
2. Sign in with an email code and switch on the moon gate.
3. Fully close the Bilibili app (swipe it away) and reopen it, then play the title that was blocked.

TV (Yunshiting Xiaodianshi)

1. Bilibili's TV app is called Yunshiting Xiaodianshi (云视听小电视). Install the TV app rather than the phone app. It's usually not on Google Play outside China, so download the TV installer (APK) from Bilibili's official website and install it the same way as Homeway for TV; see the TV and box install guide.
2. Your TV needs to run Android TV or Google TV. For Samsung and LG TVs, plug in an Android TV box; see Samsung and LG TVs.
3. Open Homeway and switch on the moon gate first, then open Yunshiting Xiaodianshi and sign in by scanning the code with the Bilibili phone app.

Computer

1. On Windows, install the Windows app. On a Mac or any other computer, use the browser extension for Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
2. Switch on the moon gate and open the Bilibili website; if it's already open, just refresh the page.

What about Premium membership?

Homeway only deals with region restrictions; it doesn't include a Bilibili Premium membership. Without one, free anime and documentaries play normally, and Premium-only titles will still ask you to subscribe, which has nothing to do with your region. A Premium account registered in China signs in abroad without problems and keeps its benefits.

On TV, note that on many platforms a phone membership doesn't cover TV. If you want members-only content on Yunshiting Xiaodianshi, check on Bilibili's membership page which devices a plan includes before you pay.

Picture quality and buffering

Homeway only relays the few playback authorisation requests; the video itself still streams from the server nearest to you rather than detouring through China, so picture quality and speed stay the same. If high-definition playback keeps stalling, the cause is usually your home Wi-Fi or TV box; see how to fix buffering.

Other platforms: Tencent Video, iQIYI, Youku, Mango TV, Migu Video and QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music. See the full list in Supported apps, and time zones and devices by country in the country guides.

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