Hola, a new kid on the block, aims to help you access apps and sites not available in your country in just a single click. The really cool thing about this tool is that unlike most such services which come with restrictions and ads for a free account, Hola is completely free to use with no bandwidth limit. So let’s see how to use Hola on our desktops and phones.
Hola for Firefox and Chrome
Hola is available for Firefox and Chrome as an extension and you can install it on either one based upon your comfort level. Once you have installed the extension, restart the browser after saving any important data you were working on. The extension is activated by default and ready to use without any sign up. Working on the app is a cakewalk. Open the website that you want to remove the restrictions from, and choose one of the servers from the Hola extension installed on your browser. Hola instantly changes the IP for that particular domain for you and unblocks all the country-restricted access. The extension will also save your preferences for the particular domain and next time you visit it, Hola will initialize automatically for that particular tab. All the other websites will work on the normal local IP, but the selected ones will always behave as if they are being accessed from a different server. I have tried the extension on Spotify Web Player and Pandora Radio, and both were able to play the songs without any hiccups.
Hola for Android
Thanks to open source nature of Android, you can use Hola just the same way you use it on a browser. Hola can be installed for free from the Play Store and no root permissions are necessary for the app to work. After you install the app, launch it and switch to it using the option in the app. Now, to unblock country-restricted apps, turn on the Unblocker option and tap on the app from the list. Hola will give you a long list of countries you can mask your IP from. Just select the country from the list and let Hola work the magic. You will have to grant permission to activate the trusted VPN connection through Hola after you activate it on any of the apps. Note: Even after unblocking if an app doesn’t work, open the application manager on your Android and force stop the app. Having done that, clear the data and cache files of the app and relaunch it.
Hola for iPad and iPhones
Hola is not available as a standalone app for iPhones and iPads, however, if you are a premium Hola subscriber, you can configure it as a VPN connection using L2TP and PPTP protocols. The premium plan is available for $5 a month, but you can get a free premium membership by just inviting your friends to Hola. For each friend that joins Hola using your referral link both of you get a month of premium membership. Once you are a premium member, you can get your VPN username and password from the account settings page and configure it on your iOS devices. Hola provides a detailed guide on the My Account page for both Windows and iOS.
Conclusion
I have been using Hola for a while and each time I listen to tracks on Spotify or watch some shows on Hulu, I feel great that I found this tool. The service is easy to use with no ads and limit even in the free version. Also, for all our readers who were having a problem with Spotify country restrictions can now use Hola along with the web player to shuffle their favorite tracks on Spotify. Moreover, with Hola for Android you can even listen to these tracks on your smartphone. Top Photo Credit: Foxspain Fotografía
