Why the TV needs its own VPN
A VPN on your phone changes the address of your phone only. The TV in the living room has its own connection and its own IP address, so Indian apps on the TV still see wherever you live. To give the TV an Indian address, the VPN has to run on the TV itself.
What to look for in a VPN for Android TV
- An India server. Obvious, but many VPNs list "Asia" servers elsewhere. You need a server in India for an Indian IP address.
- An app built for the remote. A phone app stretched onto a TV often has buttons the remote cannot reach. Every screen should work with the arrow keys, OK and Back.
- Installed from Google Play on the TV. No side-loading, no files from websites, and updates that arrive on their own.
- Sign-in without typing card details. Paying with a remote is painful. You should be able to subscribe on your phone and simply sign in on the TV.
- One subscription for several devices, so the TV does not cost a second plan.
How Cybo does it
Cybo VPN is on Google Play for Android TV as well as for phones and tablets. Android TV is part of PRO, and one PRO subscription covers up to five devices on one account. You subscribe on your phone, where Google Play's checkout is easy to use, and then sign in on the TV with the same account, using Google or your email address and password. The TV app is designed for the remote: every screen, including sign-in and the location list, can be used with the arrow keys alone.
On the TV, choose India (Mumbai) from the locations and connect. Android asks once to allow the VPN connection; press OK. From then on, apps on the TV see an Indian IP address while Cybo is connected. The Android TV setup guide walks through every step.
Which TVs it runs on
Cybo runs on TVs and boxes that use Android TV or Google TV and have the Google Play Store. That includes many smart TVs from the makers that use Android TV, and separate Android TV boxes and sticks that plug into any TV.
Samsung and LG smart TVs run their own operating systems, not Android TV, so Cybo cannot be installed on them directly. A plug-in box running Google TV or Android TV is the usual answer for those sets.
Privacy on the TV too
The TV gets the same as the phone: WireGuard with ChaCha20-Poly1305 encryption, and no activity logs, so no record of your IP address, the apps and sites you use or your DNS queries.
Cybo gives you an Indian IP address while you live abroad. It is a privacy tool, not a way around the rules where you live. More for the Gulf: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.