Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Kodi Premier League streams blocked leaving confused users watching blank screens

Anti-piracy efforts have been stepped up this season

Aatif Sulleyman

Wednesday 16 August 2017 11:25 BST

Kodi has consistently been very critical of 'fully loaded box' sellers (Facebook/Kodi)

Large numbers of Kodi box users were left frustrated over the weekend, having been unable to watch any Premier League games for free.

Several illegal streams of matches reportedly went down shortly after going live, causing confusion and anger as users were met by blank screens instead of the live Premier League action they’d been expecting to be able to tune into.

The Premier League has stepped up its blocking efforts, and is expected to make it much harder for people to watch matches illegally this season.

11 hidden Google Chrome features you didn't know existed

Show all 11

1/1111 hidden Google Chrome features you didn't know existed

11 hidden Google Chrome features you didn't know existed

Easter Eggs

There are a lot of Easter Eggs hidden in Chrome, and more and more are discovered each year. One of our favourites is the dinosaur game. The next time you fail to connect to the internet on Chrome, tap the spacebar. It’s also worth Googling “barrel roll”, “zerg rush”, “super mario bros” (and clicking the question mark graphic), “festivus”, “recursion”, “askew” and “atari breakout” (and then clicking Images).

11 hidden Google Chrome features you didn't know existed

Pin tabs

If you tend to browse with a lot of tabs open at once, you can clear up the clutter by pinning the ones you’re least likely to close. Right-click them and select Pin Tab. They’ll automatically shrink and slide left.

11 hidden Google Chrome features you didn't know existed

Save battery

You can save some battery life by sacrificing performance. In Settings, scroll down to the System section and uncheck the box reading Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed. We wouldn’t recommend having this feature enabled all the time, but it could come in handy if you’re nowhere near a charger.

11 hidden Google Chrome features you didn't know existed

Browse faster

There are loads of Chrome Extensions available, but one of the most useful is Google’s Data Saver. It compresses the pages you visit to reduce data usage and speed up loading times.

11 hidden Google Chrome features you didn't know existed

Make multiple profiles

If you use multiple Google accounts, for work and for personal use, for instance, you can keep your bookmarks and browsing history for each account separate by creating individual profiles. Go to Settings, Manage People and Add Person. This is also handy for when you lend your computer to a friend, and you don’t want them to have access to your internet history.

11 hidden Google Chrome features you didn't know existed

Downloads

Many users would prefer it if Chrome downloaded files straight to the desktop, but by default it sends them to your Downloads folder. You can change this by going to Settings, opening the Show Advanced Settings menu, clicking Downloads and choosing your preferred destination.

11 hidden Google Chrome features you didn't know existed

Extra info

To see cookies and permissions for every site you visit, click the View Site Information symbol on the left-hand edge of the omnibar. It will also let you quickly control things like Popup and Location settings.

11 hidden Google Chrome features you didn't know existed

Task manager

You can quickly find out which pages are using up the most memory and slowing down your browsing experience by opening the burger menu, going down to More Tools and opening the Chrome Task Manager.

11 hidden Google Chrome features you didn't know existed

Calculator

When you’re online and need to do a quick sum, you don’t have to hunt down your computer calculator or whip out your phone. Just type it into the Chrome omnibar and hit Enter.

11 hidden Google Chrome features you didn't know existed

Startup

If there’s a certain set of pages you always open when you turn your computer on, you can get Chrome to open them automatically when you launch the browser. In Settings, click Set Pages in the On Startup section, and choose the ones you want.

11 hidden Google Chrome features you didn't know existed

Search Gmail from omnibar

You can search your gmail inbox directly from the omnibar by going to Settings, Manage Search Engines, scrolling to the bottom and pasting https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/0/#apps/%s into the box on the right-hand side.

Several providers are urging people to start using VPNs in order to get around the blocks, reports TorrentFreak.

However, people who buy so-called Kodi boxes tend to do so because they'd rather pay for someone else to do the technical stuff, rather than attempt it themselves.

Another provider obtained new domain names, causing further confusion as its users didn’t know what was going on.

Furthermore, TorrentFreak suggests that, since the IP addresses targeted by the Premier League belonged to the same servers carrying other types of content, some users were also left unable to access films and TV shows.

“We’re pleased to see the Premier League’s blocking order is making it harder to stream games illegally,” a Sky spokesperson told the Independent.

“People who've spent money on pirate boxes or illegal subscriptions could be wasting their money and exposing themselves and their families to harm.”

However, not all streams were successfully blocked, and users were still able to watch some of the weekend’s matches on other platforms, such as Twitter.

The Premier League announced its “biggest ever crackdown” on illegal football streams last month.

It has obtained a High Court Order, which will be in place for the entire 2017/18 season, that allows it to work with the UK’s internet service providers (ISPs), including Sky, BT and Virgin Media, to quickly block servers that are hosting illegal streams of matches.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies