To change the location settings of your App Store, you can go into your iOS/Apple ID settings. However, since Apple can still detect your real location via GPS and your IP address, this might not work. You’re going to need to use a VPN.
Here are the steps to follow:
- Subscribe to a recommended VPN provider. For iOS, we suggest checking out Surfshark. This VPN has a large server network, high speeds, and a fantastic mobile app for iPhone and iPad.
- Download the iOS application and log in with your account.
- Connect to a server in a country you want to connect to.
- Go into your iOS Settings > Apple ID > Media & Purchases > View Account > Country/Region. Follow the steps to completion.
You will now get access to apps in the App Store that were unavailable before.
Surfshark
At the moment, you can get 82% off a new Surfshark plan! What are you waiting for? You can find a detailed guide on changing the Apple Store region below.
Ever looked for an app or game in the Apple App Store only to find it’s not available in your region? Due to licensing restrictions, the App Store is not the same around the world.
You might think that switching to a new country is only a matter of changing your iPhone region settings, right? If only it were that simple. If your IP address doesn’t change along with your settings, you might not be able to access all apps. For that, you need a VPN!
A VPN lets you take on an IP address from almost anywhere in the world, unblocking the full App Store library for you! Our recommendation for iPhone and iPad is Surfshark, which has a fantastic app for iOS. At the moment, you can get 82% off your Surfshark plan.
Below, you’ll find a step-by-step guide on how to change your App Store country.
Why Change Your Apple Country or Region?
Depending on where you live in the world, you might be missing out on certain apps or games in the Apple Store. On top of that, you might be paying more for applications than is necessary. Want to change that? You can change your iPhone region settings and access different App Store countries very easily.
Here are the main reasons to change your App Store country:
- Keep your apps when you’re abroad. If you want to maintain access to your apps when traveling, you might need to change your iPhone region. This goes for anything from entertainment and streaming apps to online banking. When confronted with high levels of censorship, such as in China, you might not be able to access certain apps otherwise.
- Bypass geo-restrictions. You can unblock the full potential of the App Store and bypass geo-restrictions from your couch, so you get access to apps that would otherwise be hidden from you.
- Save money on apps and games. Chances are you’re paying too much for certain apps or games that are more affordable in different locations. By changing your Apple Store’s location settings, you can compare prices and get the best deal.
Making some adjustments to your iOS region settings is a great start. However, sometimes that isn’t enough. With a VPN, you’ll always be able to change your IP address along with your settings, which allows you to unblock apps from anywhere.
Let’s get into it!
How to Change Your Country in the Apple Store
There are a few different ways to unblock a different country’s settings in the Apple Store. In most cases, however, it’s important that your IP address changes along with your settings, which is where the VPN comes in.
We will show you how to change your iPhone to a new country or region successfully by focusing on these three approaches:
- Change your iOS region settings. This is the first step to take when you want to experience the full potential of the App Store. It’s easy enough and might get you around certain geographical restrictions, but it doesn’t always work.
- Create a new Apple ID. If updating your region settings doesn’t work, you might a new Apple ID. This is a bit of a hassle, but not impossible. However, even then, Apple might use your GPS and IP address to check where you are.
- Get a different IP address with a VPN (best option!). If you want to ensure that you can always bypass the App Store region restrictions, either with an existing or a new account, you’ll need a VPN to hide and change your IP address.
The easiest and most successful options are to first change your region settings and, if that doesn’t work, use a VPN. We’ll go over this process below.
Change your iOS region settings (try this first!)
Changing your Apple region settings is a good first step if you want to get access to the full App Store.
Important:
You can’t change the App Store region settings if you still have any active subscriptions. More importantly, you need to have a $0.00 balance before you make any changes. If you have a balance that’s too small to make any purchases (say, $0.08), you’ll need to contact Apple directly and ask them to remove the remaining balance.
For iOS (iPhone and iPad), follow these steps:
- (For iPhone) Disable GPS tracking in the settings of your iPhone by going to “Settings” > “Privacy” > “Location Services” > “Turn Off.”
- Go into the “Settings” app and click on your Apple ID.
- Tap “Media & Purchases,” then tap “View Account.”
- Log in with your Apple ID, then go to “Country/Region” and tap “Change Country or Region.” If you have any active subscriptions or get the notification that you have pending store credit refunds, you’ll be asked to remove them. Follow the onscreen instructions.
- Select a country from the list and tap “Agree.”
- When asked for a payment method, select “None.”
- Along with your payment method, you will likely be asked to enter a billing address. You can enter any contact information you like, it doesn’t have to be your real contact information. We weren’t asked for any verification.
- Click “Done.”
If you’re in luck, this approach will do the trick and provide you with different apps in the App Store!
Change your mac region settings
On macOS, you can follow these steps:
- Go to iTunes and open it.
- Click “Account” > “Account Settings.”
- Log in with your Apple ID, then click on “Change Country or Region” on the Account information page.
- You should now be able to select a country from the list.
Create a new Apple ID
When changing your region settings doesn’t work, you can try to switch to a new Apple ID country. To do this, you will need to create a new Apple ID and set it to a different location. Keep in mind that you’ll be asked to verify your contact information and have to enter a valid payment method.
This is a lot of hassle, and it doesn’t even come with a guarantee that it’ll work. With that in mind, there is a much easier way to unblock a new location for the App Store: using a VPN.
Change your App Store country with a VPN
While changing your iPhone region settings or creating a new Apple ID is a good solution, chances are you will still see the same version of the App Store. This is because Apple uses two indicators to determine your real location:
- GPS location: On mobile devices, your GPS will reveal your exact geographical location.
- IP address: This is a virtual identifier that shows apps, websites, and your internet service provider where your data is coming from.
When switching to a new country, you can disable GPS tracking in the settings of your iPhone. Changing your IP address, however, is a bit trickier. You’ll need a virtual private network (VPN) to spoof your location and replace your real IP address with one of a VPN server located elsewhere in the world.
Here’s how to change your App Store location with a VPN:
- Subscribe to a premium VPN provider. We recommend Surfshark for changing your App Store location settings. At the moment, you can get Surfshark with 82% off!
- Download the Surfshark app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Log in with the account you just created. You’ll see a list of all the VPN servers you can connect to.
- Choose a VPN server to connect to, such as the United States. Once you’re connected, your IP address will change to that of the VPN server in your chosen country.
You can now go into your Settings app and change “Country/Region” as outlined in the steps above. The VPN will ensure that you unblock the App Store you want access to!
The Best VPNs for Changing Your Apple Store Region
Not every VPN can unblock the App Store. We’ve tested 25+ VPNs to see which ones are best for iOS and get the job done. When doing so, we’ve kept a few key aspects in mind:
- Excellent iOS/macOS app: Any VPN that you use to change your Apple country or region needs to be highly compatible with iOS, and preferably also with macOS. This will ensure the VPN actually works.
- Security settings: When changing your location settings, you want to make sure your real IP address or your GPS data doesn’t accidentally leak through. The best VPNs have sublime DNS leak protection, fantastic encryption protocols, and even obfuscation technology, which disguises your VPN traffic as a regular internet connection.
- Connection speed: Of course, you don’t want to have a VPN that slows down your device or connection in any way.
- Price: If you want to use a VPN to change the App Store location, you of course don’t want to be paying too much.
We’ll go over the best VPNs to change country settings on iOS below.
1. Surfshark: Best VPN to change settings App Store
From our own experience with Surfshark, we know that this VPN can unblock anything, from streaming services to apps. With a fantastic iPhone app, great speeds, and an affordable subscription plan, it’s the perfect VPN to change your App Store region.
Why we recommend Surfshark:
- High-end encryption and obfuscation: Surfshark is a very high-performing VPN. With 256-bit AES encryption and obfuscated servers, you’re guaranteed to get past the heaviest geo-restrictions! You won’t have any issues unblocking any version of the App Store you like with this VPN.
- Easy-to-use iOS app: If you’re looking for one of the best VPNs for iPhone and iPad, you’re in luck with Surfshark. It’s a very user-friendly app that makes connecting to a VPN server super easy. The app runs in the background of your device without you noticing it.
- Affordable plan: Surfshark always has fantastic pricing! It’s one of the reasons we can so easily recommend it to any user. For less than the price of a cup of coffee, you’ll be able to enjoy a ton of security benefits and easily change your IP address from anywhere.
- Fantastic streaming VPN: Who says you can’t enjoy the extra perks of a VPN? Surfshark is one of the best VPNs to unblock Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and any other international streaming service you want access to.
Right now, Surfshark has an 82% discount for anyone signing up! You can also make use of their 30-day money-back guarantee if you want to try the VPN for yourself first.
2. NordVPN: High-quality VPN with great iOS app
Another great VPN to use when you want to change your Apple location is NordVPN. In our most recent NordVPN tests, we found that Nord is a real unblocking powerhouse!
Why we recommend NordVPN:
- Great VPN for Apple products: NordVPN is a fantastic VPN for Apple devices. The UI is well-designed and easy to navigate. On top of that, you can connect to a new country with a single click.
- Very fast servers: Connection speed is an important factor for a VPN. In our speed tests, NordVPN consistently comes out on top as one of the fastest VPNs. This will ensure you can use the App Store without lagging.
- Customer service: Should you run into any issues while unblocking the App Store, Nord has a 24/7 live chat support team available to help you out.
Like Surfshark, NordVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee that you can use like a free trial. At the moment, you can also get up to 69% off the two-year plan.
3. CyberGhost: Budget VPN to change Apple region
If you’re looking for the most affordable VPN to change your Apple region, CyberGhost is worth considering. This secure and reliable VPN always performs well in testing and allows you to easily change your App Store settings
Why we recommend CyberGhost:
- Beginner-friendly VPN: If you’ve never used a VPN before, CyberGhost is a great option. Their iOS app works well and customer support is always able to give great advice.
- Optimized servers for streaming, gaming, and torrenting: Want to change your App Store country to finally download that game you’ve been wanting to play? Perfect. CyberGhost has optimized servers that allow you to use a VPN for all sorts of online activities. A great plus!
- Large server network: With 11500+ VPN servers across 100 countries, CyberGhost’s server network rivals that of NordVPN and Surfshark. The more servers, the more unblocking options you get!
Want to see what CyberGhost is all about? You can make use of the 45-day money-back guarantee and use the VPN without committing!
Services to Avoid When You Want to Change Your App Store Country
VPNs are not the only tools you can use to change your virtual location to a new country. However, not all services are safe or strong enough to unblock a different country’s App Store. During our tests, we found that the following services didn’t work for changing your Apple ID country:
- Smart DNS: While a smart DNS server might get the job done, your data won’t be encrypted, making you vulnerable to hacking.
- Proxy: A proxy server will reroute your traffic through an external server, but is less secure than a VPN.
- Free VPN: While there are some great free VPNs for iOS available, they come with security vulnerabilities and data caps.
Keep in Mind:
In most places around the world, it’s not illegal to use a VPN to access geo-restricted content. However, certain apps you’re trying to get through the App Store might have policies against it. Always make sure you read up on your user agreement.
Change Your Apple Story Country Safely With a VPN
The best and easiest way to change your App Store’s location is with a VPN. While you might be able to change your country or region in your iOS account settings, either with your regular or new Apple ID, it’s key that your IP address changes along with your new location. For this, you need a VPN!
From our own experience, we know that the best VPNs to unblock the App Store from anywhere are:
- Surfshark: Best VPN to change iOS region settings
- NordVPN: High-quality VPN with fantastic security features
- CyberGhost: Affordable VPN to bypass geo-restrictions
You can get 82% off your Surfshark subscription if you sign up today. Get ready to change your App Store location with just a couple of clicks!
Do you have any questions about changing your App Store location settings? Check out our FAQ below!
If you’ve tried changing your Apple Store country without success, chances are Apple has detected your real location via GPS and your IP address. To change your IP address, you need to use a virtual private network (VPN).
You can change your App Store country by trying the following things:
- Change your Country/Region settings in the iOS settings (only works sometimes).
- Create a new Apple ID and set it to a different country (only works sometimes).
- Use a VPN to change your IP address (most reliable option!). We recommend Surfshark, as it worked like a charm every time we tried it!
You can opt out of adding a payment method by selecting “None” when asked to choose one. You will still need to add a local address and phone number. However, since you won’t be asked to verify, you don’t have to enter your real contact information.
By using a VPN like Surfshark, one of the best VPNs for iOS, you can change the virtual location of your iPhone and download apps that are otherwise not available in your country.
