Fix poor video quality, find the missing HD option and disable your VPN
Error message says you’re outside the UK
If iPlayer tells you you’re not in the UK when you are, check whether you’ve installed VPN software such as CyberGhost (www.cyberghostvpn.com). Tools like these mask your computer’s IP address to make it look like you’re connecting from a different country. So, try disabling any VPN tool you have installed.
However, it could be that the router has picked up a non-UK IP address from your internet service provider (ISP): they sometimes do this when their UK-based IP address stocks are running low. Log into your router by typing your IP address (something like 192.168.0.1 or similar) into your web browser’s address bar. Now look for options to release and renew the ‘lease’ on the IP address. If you can’t find these, call your ISP and ask them to issue a UK-based IP address to your router. If all else fails, unplug your router for a while; or just wait a day, because many ISPs automatically expire and renew IP address leases every 24 hours.
Video stops playing or is poor quality
BBC iPlayer uses adaptive bit rates, which means it sends less data when your connection slows down. The intention is to keep the picture moving, by reducing quality. If it happens often, your connection might not be fast enough to run iPlayer at the best quality. Click ‘Watch in SD’ to switch from high definition (HD) to standard definition (SD). Also, try to spot if there’s a pattern when the quality drops. Perhaps Windows Update runs at the same time you watch EastEnders every day? In Windows, click Start, type windows update then click Windows Update, followed by ‘Change settings’. Open the dropdown menu and choose ‘Check for updates but let me choose whether to download or install them’. This isn’t an option in Windows 10, but you can trick it to stop downloading updates. Click Start, Settings, ‘Network & internet’ then WiFi. Click ‘Advanced settings’ and switch on ‘Metered connection’. Windows updates are important for the security of your PC, so this should be a temporary measure.
Downloads app goes blank
Using the iPlayer Downloads program in Windows 10? If you notice that the playback window goes blank when you exit full-screen mode, you’re not alone – it’s a bug that the BBC knows about. It doesn’t have a fix yet, but ensure your graphics card drivers are up to date, and also clear the iPlayer Downloads cache: click Settings followed by ‘Clear cache’ in the Advanced section.
The HD option is missing
If you’re certain that a show was broadcast in HD then you might just have to wait a while: live programmes can take some time to appear on iPlayer. Even then, standard definition versions are added first, followed by HD quality.
Can’t download to smartphone or tablet
BBC iPlayer is like any other app: it has some minimum requirements. For Apple devices, this means a device running iOS 7 or later, so if you’re using an older iPhone or iPad you might be out of luck. To check if your Apple gadget is upgradable, tap Settings followed by General and then Software Update. Android users have less to worry about here, as iPlayer will theoretically work with devices from Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) onwards. However, there are numerous Android devices that are simply incompatible with iPlayer – see the BBC’s list at www.snipca.com/18500.
Strange voices talk over programmes
You’ve accidentally clicked the ‘AD’ rather than ‘HD’ playback button. AD stands for ‘Audio Description’, which is a great feature if you have impaired vision, but an annoyance otherwise. Not all programmes have it but where they do iPlayer positions the AD button right below the HD button. They look almost identical, so it’s easy to click or tap the wrong one. To disable it, just click or tap the AD button or the ‘Turn AD off’ link. If you’re watching in full-screen mode, you’ll need to exit that first – on a PC, just press Escape (Esc).