How to access Lovehoney.co.uk

Have you tried Googling Lovehoney only to find it doesn't appear in the search results? Don't worry, we're still in business! But there are a few reasons you might not be able to find us. We'll explain in detail below but, for now, you can access the main site here.

Why can't I find Lovehoney's website?

If you were searching for Lovehoney ended up here, you might have SafeSearch or ISP filters enabled.

SafeSearch

SafeSearch is a Google feature designed to prevent explicit content from appearing in your search results. The feature was implemented to protect under 18s from viewing potentially harmful content, which is a cause we're wholeheartedly behind.

Originally, SafeSearch was automatically turned on for children, but these days it's the default setting for anyone (including adults) whose age Google can't determine. You'll find no adult content on our website, but that doesn't stop tech firms from lumping us into the same category. So, if you have SafeSearch enabled, you won't see Lovehoney in the search results.

Did you know? Some clever clogs at Lovehoney estimated that in the two months after SafeSearch became default, as many as 700,000 customers were unable to find the site. That’s approximately 39 million orgasms denied (figure based on one person having one orgasm per day – I don’t make the rules).

How to turn off SafeSearch

It's easy for adults to turn off SafeSearch.

Search for Lovehoney on Google.
Right above the first result, you should see the SafeSearch bar. Make sure you toggle to 'Off' rather than 'Filter'.
Alternatively, click your profile button at the top right on the Google search page. You'll see the option to turn off SafeSearch in the drop-down menu.
If Google doesn't already know your age, you might need to verify it using ID.

ISP filters

Your ISP is the company who provides your home and/or mobile internet, like Sky, BT, O2 or EE. And it's probably limiting the websites you can access. All major internet providers in the UK offer filtering that blocks potentially harmful or adult websites on your network.

Some ISP blocks are helpful, like the ones that stop you from accessing dangerous or fraudulent websites. But many ISP blocks can be unhelpful, especially because, since 2013, the default approach for this kind of web filtering has been opt-out rather than opt-in. This means your ISP turns on web filtering by default.

Because web filtering gets applied across your ISP’s entire network, using an incognito browsing window won’t help you access blocked pages. The only way to access websites that are blocked on adult grounds (like lovehoney.co.uk!) is to adjust your account’s security or safety settings.

How do I change my ISP filters?

Fortunately, adjusting your filters is pretty simple.

First, log in to your account with your ISP.
Look for the option to adjust parental controls, web safe or kids safe filters. Different ISPs call their web filtering different things.
Adjust the settings to suit your needs.
You may also need to confirm your age via your bank card (you won’t be charged anything to do this).

We’re totally in favour of adults having their own space on the internet, and we recommend adjusting your ISP’s web filters to something that works just right for you and your family. For example, if your ISP gives you the option, you could ‘whitelist’ lovehoney.co.uk and leave the rest of the filters as they are.

If you have kids at home and you’re worried about them accessing adult content, don’t worry. Many ISP settings can be changed so sites are filtered on specific devices or at particular times of day. If you have teens or older kids, just make sure to require a password to change the settings after you’ve set them up to your liking.

Internet Matters provides detailed explanations on how to adjust parental settings for most major ISPs in the UK. https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/broadband-mobile/