Been using TikTok with VPN, how bad is it?

[Ccmaster33]

I live and Europe and want to target other European countries (UK, Germany), but when I upload without VPN, my country represents 70-80% of viewers. I’ve been uploading from my iPhone with my local SIM and NordVPN for long time. Each video gets around 1000 views, which I can’t say if it’s good or bad.

My question is - should I keep doing it this way, considering it works, or should I be more cautious? What would be the benefits from getting a UK sim for example or residential proxy?

Here is a photo of the viewers from my last Tiktok, uploaded from UK NordVPN:

 

[Rawspele]

you should test the uk sim with nord vpn method. do you have access to another phone so you won't have to reset yours?

 

[tompots]

I live and Europe and want to target other European countries (UK, Germany), but when I upload without VPN, my country represents 70-80% of viewers. I’ve been uploading from my iPhone with my local SIM and NordVPN for long time. Each video gets around 1000 views, which I can’t say if it’s good or bad.

My question is - should I keep doing it this way, considering it works, or should I be more cautious? What would be the benefits from getting a UK sim for example or residential proxy?

Here is a photo of the viewers from my last Tiktok, uploaded from UK NordVPN:

View attachment 440161

UK sim or residential proxy can help target your desired audience better and reduce local bias.

 

[abbygraphy05]

The reason is because tiktok tracks location in many ways, you have to be very careful, just follow me step by step.
Tiktok tracks location using IP address & by SIM number.

That doesn't mean the algorithm will start believing you as soon as you're back with a VPN IP address. They know these VPN providers & can easily detect that you're using these VPNs, that's why
you need to use a Super High Quality Proxy. There's a category of Proxies called "Static Residential" which means the IP address is very similar to a local household IP address from that specific country.
If you use cheap proxies, you will get a very dirty IP adddress & they'll know it.
Residential Proxy > Any VPN > Cheap proxy
First of all, If you don't know what a proxy is, You gotta do some research on Ytube.
Delete Tiktok app
You must turn off GPS on your phone, Remove any sim card (even if it doesn't have a number yet)
because SIM cards have some 3 digit number from the manufacturer which resembles the location of that Region, Tiktok tracks location based on that too
So remove any sim card, If you had a SIM card from your target country, Keep it... otherwise Do not keep any sim cards.
[if your target is UK, you could order a Free SIM from GiffGaff website which is a SIM company from UK. You do not need to activate & spend $, just the sim card only required]

Setup Proxy with "Always on VPN" + "Block connections without VPN" options enabled, which will act as you turned off internet if you're not Proxy-connected
Now restart your phone & connect to proxy again.
Install tiktok, sign in & use it.

Below screenshot, Just using a high quality proxy & no SIM card

 

[laurmat]

The reason is because tiktok tracks location in many ways, you have to be very careful, just follow me step by step.
Tiktok tracks location using IP address & by SIM number.

That doesn't mean the algorithm will start believing you as soon as you're back with a VPN IP address. They know these VPN providers & can easily detect that you're using these VPNs, that's why
you need to use a Super High Quality Proxy. There's a category of Proxies called "Static Residential" which means the IP address is very similar to a local household IP address from that specific country.
If you use cheap proxies, you will get a very dirty IP adddress & they'll know it.
Residential Proxy > Any VPN > Cheap proxy
First of all, If you don't know what a proxy is, You gotta do some research on Ytube.
Delete Tiktok app
You must turn off GPS on your phone, Remove any sim card (even if it doesn't have a number yet)
because SIM cards have some 3 digit number from the manufacturer which resembles the location of that Region, Tiktok tracks location based on that too
So remove any sim card, If you had a SIM card from your target country, Keep it... otherwise Do not keep any sim cards.
[if your target is UK, you could order a Free SIM from GiffGaff website which is a SIM company from UK. You do not need to activate & spend $, just the sim card only required]

Setup Proxy with "Always on VPN" + "Block connections without VPN" options enabled, which will act as you turned off internet if you're not Proxy-connected
Now restart your phone & connect to proxy again.
Install tiktok, sign in & use it.

Below screenshot, Just using a high quality proxy & no SIM card

How do you connect to the proxy, by using a mobile proxy app on your phone or you setup the proxy on external device that will share a wifi and you connect to that wifi ?

 

[King Kong 259]

I live and Europe and want to target other European countries (UK, Germany), but when I upload without VPN, my country represents 70-80% of viewers. I’ve been uploading from my iPhone with my local SIM and NordVPN for long time. Each video gets around 1000 views, which I can’t say if it’s good or bad.

My question is - should I keep doing it this way, considering it works, or should I be more cautious? What would be the benefits from getting a UK sim for example or residential proxy?

Here is a photo of the viewers from my last Tiktok, uploaded from UK NordVPN:

View attachment 440161

What You Could Try for Better Targeting​

1. Use a UK (or German) SIM Card
   TikTok heavily weighs SIM card location. This could change your default region metadata significantly.
2. Switch Your Phone’s Region & Language Settings
3. Use a Residential Proxy (Cautiously)
4. Create Region-Specific Content
5. Engage with Local Content
   

 

[Fallon Desi1]

I live and Europe and want to target other European countries (UK, Germany), but when I upload without VPN, my country represents 70-80% of viewers. I’ve been uploading from my iPhone with my local SIM and NordVPN for long time. Each video gets around 1000 views, which I can’t say if it’s good or bad.

My question is - should I keep doing it this way, considering it works, or should I be more cautious? What would be the benefits from getting a UK sim for example or residential proxy?

Here is a photo of the viewers from my last Tiktok, uploaded from UK NordVPN:

View attachment 440161

What You Could Do for Real UK/Germany Reach
Option 1: Swap in a Real UK SIM
TikTok gives heavy weight to the SIM card region

Even better if you use UK Apple ID, UK device region settings, UK language, and upload via UK IP (residential, not VPN)

This combo creates a full UK persona.

Option 2: Use Android Emulator + Proxy
Set up TikTok app on LDPlayer / BlueStacks / virtual device

Use a UK/German residential proxy

Set device region and language to UK/German

Upload there (safer and more controllable than iPhone+VPN)

Option 3: Just Create a Separate “UK Persona” TikTok Account
Register it using a UK IP + email/SIM (clean identity)

Warm it up for 3–5 days (no uploads yet)

Start uploading from that identity only with full UK signals

Is 1000 Views/Video Good?
Honestly? It’s average for an early-stage organic account. But if your goal is monetization, geo matters more than raw view count.

1,000 views from UK/Germany can outperform 10,000 from a low-CPM region

Especially if you're planning to push offers, grow Telegram, or build a funnel

 

[Usersuri]

I live and Europe and want to target other European countries (UK, Germany), but when I upload without VPN, my country represents 70-80% of viewers. I’ve been uploading from my iPhone with my local SIM and NordVPN for long time. Each video gets around 1000 views, which I can’t say if it’s good or bad.

My question is - should I keep doing it this way, considering it works, or should I be more cautious? What would be the benefits from getting a UK sim for example or residential proxy?

Here is a photo of the viewers from my last Tiktok, uploaded from UK NordVPN:

View attachment 440161

Using Residential or Mobile proxies is usually the best choice if you want to avoid shadowbans.

 

[RichMedusa]

In general I wouldn't recommend it, but if it's working for you, keep going. I just don't encourage you to keep doing that for your other accounts.

 

[rocktheboat]

Also very surprised it works with nordvpn (or any vpn). Your account must have a good history.

 

[Nounklet]

I live and Europe and want to target other European countries (UK, Germany), but when I upload without VPN, my country represents 70-80% of viewers. I’ve been uploading from my iPhone with my local SIM and NordVPN for long time. Each video gets around 1000 views, which I can’t say if it’s good or bad.

My question is - should I keep doing it this way, considering it works, or should I be more cautious? What would be the benefits from getting a UK sim for example or residential proxy?

Here is a photo of the viewers from my last Tiktok, uploaded from UK NordVPN:

View attachment 440161

Nothing is working for you with that Nordvpn. Use mobile proxies for better results.

 

[Teste_fantasma]

That actually sounds like you're doing pretty well already — consistent 1K views per post isn't bad, especially if you're just getting started or still testing content types.
But yeah, VPNs like Nord are decent for browsing, not so much for spoofing actual device-level location on platforms like TikTok. They tend to flag that kind of mismatch (SIM from one country, IP from another) over time, which might explain why you're still getting a strong bias toward your home country in the viewer data.
Getting a UK SIM or using a solid residential/mobile proxy with proper device emulation could help TikTok "believe" your content is local to the region you're targeting. That could slowly shift your traffic more toward UK/Germany if the content also feels relevant there.
That said — if you're already seeing results, maybe test a few uploads with the improved setup before switching your full process. No need to fix what's not broken unless you see growth stalling.
What kind of content are you posting? Sometimes language or hashtags can affect geo-reach just as much as the tech behind the upload.

 

[WIlliam SB]

The reason is because tiktok tracks location in many ways, you have to be very careful, just follow me step by step.
Tiktok tracks location using IP address & by SIM number.

That doesn't mean the algorithm will start believing you as soon as you're back with a VPN IP address. They know these VPN providers & can easily detect that you're using these VPNs, that's why
you need to use a Super High Quality Proxy. There's a category of Proxies called "Static Residential" which means the IP address is very similar to a local household IP address from that specific country.
If you use cheap proxies, you will get a very dirty IP adddress & they'll know it.
Residential Proxy > Any VPN > Cheap proxy
First of all, If you don't know what a proxy is, You gotta do some research on Ytube.
Delete Tiktok app
You must turn off GPS on your phone, Remove any sim card (even if it doesn't have a number yet)
because SIM cards have some 3 digit number from the manufacturer which resembles the location of that Region, Tiktok tracks location based on that too
So remove any sim card, If you had a SIM card from your target country, Keep it... otherwise Do not keep any sim cards.
[if your target is UK, you could order a Free SIM from GiffGaff website which is a SIM company from UK. You do not need to activate & spend $, just the sim card only required]

Setup Proxy with "Always on VPN" + "Block connections without VPN" options enabled, which will act as you turned off internet if you're not Proxy-connected
Now restart your phone & connect to proxy again.
Install tiktok, sign in & use it.

Below screenshot, Just using a high quality proxy & no SIM card

absolutely golden advice, thanks. can you give an idea about how much the USA SIM + Static Residential proxy costs and the places you bought each from?

I want to create a USA centered TikTok and YouTube to sell my web design services via content marketing.

 

[111222Hot]

I live and Europe and want to target other European countries (UK, Germany), but when I upload without VPN, my country represents 70-80% of viewers. I’ve been uploading from my iPhone with my local SIM and NordVPN for long time. Each video gets around 1000 views, which I can’t say if it’s good or bad.

My question is - should I keep doing it this way, considering it works, or should I be more cautious? What would be the benefits from getting a UK sim for example or residential proxy?

Here is a photo of the viewers from my last Tiktok, uploaded from UK NordVPN:

View attachment 440161

TikTok tracks more than just your VPN — SIM, device, and activity history matter too, which is why your home country still dominates viewers.
Using a UK SIM or residential proxy can make your uploads appear more “native” to that region, potentially shifting reach.
The benefit is better targeting for UK/Germany audiences, but it’s not guaranteed.
If your current method gets consistent views, you can keep at it while testing new setups slowly.

 

[r2150523]

If you make profit, make more accounts and videos. If you don't make profit, adjust your setup by trying different options.