How to Change App Store Location
Changing the app store location can allow you to access apps that would otherwise be hidden. It is due to censorship and what regions the developer has allowed. Some services are geo-fenced to select regions if they are available in only a few regions. But there’s an easy way around that. Follow us, and we’ll explain how to change the App Store location on your phone.
Why Would You Want to Change App Store Location?
Digital content is subject to censorship laws of each country or availability. In the latter case, an app may be unavailable in a country because the service has not yet expanded to it.
VPN services are banned in countries such as China, North Korea, and UAE. Apple will abide by the law and not sell VPN apps through the App Store. If you are a top app development company, the review process of the app might ask you to limit the app’s availability to other regions. You might be surprised by how many apps you are missing out on because of geo-restriction.
How to Change App Store Location
Luckily, the App Store allows you to change your region whenever you want it. This will give you the freedom to access the apps that you could not before by simply changing the region of the App Store.
It is useful for two reasons. Firstly, you can take advantage of apps that would otherwise be inaccessible. For example, since Disney+ and HBO Max are not available worldwide, they may be unavailable in the App Store for you if you live in an unsupported country. The only way would be to change App Store location.
Secondly, if you are a frequent traveler, this can be especially problematic. Local apps such as travel guides may not be visible unless you switch to that region.
Apple gives you the option to change App Store location. Here’s how:
- On your iPhone, go to Settings.
- Tap on your iCloud name.
- Go to Media & Purchases > Country/Region.
- Select Change Country or Region.
- Select the new location from the list. If you don’t have any specific choice, go with the United States.
- Agree to the Terms and Conditions.
You might be asked to provide a payment method that belongs to that region. Enter the payment details and follow through with the on-screen instructions. If you don’t have a valid payment method from the country you’re trying to add, there’s another way to change App Store location.
How to Change App Store Location – Alternate Method
Use this method if you do not have a payment method to change to a new country or region. The easiest way is to make a new account.
It could be a long process for you, especially if you do not have a secondary email address. But that’s the only way left. The good part is that Apple allows you to sign in to the App Store with a different Apple ID than the one on your iPhone.
iPhone requires an Apple ID during the setup process. This is the Apple ID that you see in the Settings app. By default, this Apple ID will be used for the App Store. But you can use a different Apple ID for App Store only. This way, you can have the primary Apple ID running on the iPhone and switch to the secondary ID to download apps.
Once you have the new Apple ID ready, go to App Store, tap on your profile picture on the top-right corner, scroll down to the very bottom, and tap on Sign Out. Tap on the profile picture again and sign in with the second Apple ID.
You will now have two Apple IDs running on your phone.
How Can I Buy from the App Store?
Some apps on the App Store are paid. To purchase anything from the App Store, you will need to add a payment method or use Apple Gift Cards to top up your digital wallet to make the purchase.
Keep in mind that the payment method needs to match the region of your account. You cannot buy anything from the App Store of the US region with a credit card with a billing address of Finland, just to give you an example.
The easiest way is to use gift cards to load the amount into your digital wallet.
Another good thing about having two accounts is that even if you sign out and sign in to another Apple ID on the App Store, your apps from the previous account will remain accessible on the Home screen. But you will need to sign in back to that Apple ID from where they were downloaded/purchased in order to update them.
Can I Change App Store Region with VPN?
VPN allows you to spoof your IP address by connecting to a VPN server located remotely, such as in a different country entirely. Doing so makes the destination server think you are visiting from another country because the VPN server acts as a proxy for your internet requests.
However, App Store’s region is tied to the country and address you select while registering for an Apple account. Whatever location you put in will dictate the region of your App Store. So, while signing up for a new Apple account, enter the country of your choice.
Conclusion
Even though a VPN does not let you change App Store location, it has several other benefits. It not only protects your privacy as you browse the web but also unblocks digital streaming services like Netflix, which can be unblocked easily just by connecting to a different country. iProVPN has VPN servers in more than 20 locations worldwide, so you have that many opportunities to unblock geo-restricted content.
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