In this article, you’ll learn how to change App Store country profile. First I’ll learn the default method to change country in App Store which is basically the official method to update country profile in App Store. And in the latter part of the article, you’ll also learn about a tweak that helps you change country to any country without credit card.
Unlike Android OS where you can simply use a VPN to fake Google Play Store about the changing country profile, Apple’s App Store works differently. Apple has a different App Store for each country and sometimes you’ll come across such apps that are available in one country but not others. In order to download and access such apps that are not available in your country, you need to change the App Store country profile on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
But the problem is most of the times, you’ll need a credit card, debit card, or other payment methods to verify and confirm your change request for the App Store country profile. And this isn’t possible because you might not necessarily have access to credit cards, debit cards or any other payment methods from a different country, say foreign country.
So how would you change the App Store country profile without a credit card or debit card? That’s something you’ll learn in this article.
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How to Change App Store Country Profile without Credit Card?
If you want to change the country profile in App Store, thankfully Apple provides an official method for changing the App Store country profile. Watch this video for the step by step instructions to update your country profile in App Store.
In this video, I’ll show you how to change the country in the App Store. First, I’ll show you the quickest and easiest way to change your App Store country profile and then I’ll show you my recommended method for changing the App Store region to any country of your choice.
And if you keep watching this video until the end, you’ll also come to know about a secret method to download any app that’s not available in your country.
In case, you prefer reading, here are step-by-step instructions to update your country profile in the App Store:
Step 1:
First of all, open the App Store and then tap on your profile icon in the top right corner.
Step 2:
Now, tap on your Apple ID, and this will open the account settings for your Apple ID. And if you tap Country or Region, this will provide you an option to choose the country for your Apple ID.
Note: Depending upon the country you select here, it may ask you to verify the phone number or enter a payment method that belongs to the same country. So if you don’t have a credit card that belongs to that country to which you want to change it, this might be a problem for you.
But if you want to change the country without a credit card then keep reading, because I have good news for you.
There are a few countries that don’t necessarily require payment methods. So play around with different countries to see if it allows you to proceed without a credit card or debit card.
Step 3:
In the payment methods, select None, and then enter the billing details.
In case you are wondering what to enter in the billing details, don’t worry, you may simply search Google for fake addresses from the country of your choice.
(Disclaimer: This is usually considered a bad moral practice, so TechReviewPro never encourages such actions. By proceeding you agree to proceed at your own risk).
Step 4:
After you enter billing details and select payment method as None, you may simply tap Next and within a few seconds, your country profile in the App Store will be changed.
So that’s how you change the App Store country profile without credit card.
This is the easiest method to change the country profile in the App Store. But there is one downside:
In order to change your App Store country profile this way,
- Your Apple ID must not have any credit balance left
- Your Apple ID must not have any active subscriptions, like Apple Music, otherwise, this method won’t work.
Therefore, I would recommend an even better option that doesn’t have all these limitations.
How to Download Apps Not Available in Your Country without Changing Country Profile?
There are times when you come across some apps that you want to download and install on your iPhone, iPad, or any iDevice, but when you try to install it, you get an error message: “App Not Available in Your Country”.
And that’s because Apple has a different App Store for each country. One app might be available in one App Store country but not another. In other words, that means sometimes some apps are not available in all countries.
And this happens only if the app is available in one country but not in another. But this happens rarely when the app developer has decided to keep the app limited to a certain country.
So, in such a situation, you can simply create a new (additional) Apple ID with a different country set as the country profile.
Step 1:
Simply go to Settings, and scroll down until you find Password & Accounts. Once you find it, tap on that, and then Add Account.
Here we are basically going to create a new Apple ID with a different country, say the US (for example) as the country profile.
Step 2:
Create a new Apple ID with the US (or any other country of choice) as the country profile.
Here is a step by step tutorial to create an Apple ID without credit card:
Step 3:
Once you have created a new Apple ID, simply open App Store again and sign out from your original Apple ID.
Now, if you sign in with the US-based Apple ID, you’ll notice that the account balance has changed to the US Dollar.
And just to confirm, tap on your Apple ID again and then tap on the country/region.
Here as you can see, the US is set as the country. So this confirms that your Apple Store country profile is the US.
Therefore, now you can download any app that’s not available in my country but available in the App Store of the US.
And this is how you can download any app not available in the App Store of your country.
And I highly recommend this second method because now you have one primary Apple ID with your real country while another one available for changing country profile every now and then without any limitations.
And when you are done with downloading any app that wasn’t available, you may simply log out from your new Apple ID and sign in to your original Apple ID again.
And the good thing is: you won’t lose any previously purchased apps as well. You may read the Frequent Asked Questions section below for more information.
How do I Change my App Store Region?
Step 1: Launch App Store from your home screen.
Step 2: Tap on your Apple ID profile icon (top right corner)
Step 3: Tap on your Apple ID.
Step 4: Authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID or password (if required).
Step 5: Tap Country/Region.
Step 6: Tap on Change Country/Region.
Step 7: Choose a new Country or Region of your choice.
Step 8: Agree to Terms and Conditions.
Step 9: Enter billing name & address and select payment method None.
Step 10: Tap Next. That’s it! Enjoy the new country as the App Store region.
What Happens If I Change App Store Country?
When you change your App Store country profile, none of the downloaded apps or games are removed. Even if you change your App Store country profile, you can access all your previously downloaded or purchased apps. Launch App Store, tap on your Apple ID profile icon in the top right, tap purchased. Now from My Purchases section, you may download all the apps you previously purchased or downloaded.
How do I Get the US App Store?
There are two ways to get access to the US App Store:
1) You can simply change your country profile to the US. (Follow the step by step instruction shown in the video).
2) You can create a new Apple ID with the US set as the country profile.
What happens to Apple Music and other Subscriptions if I Change my App Store Country Profile?
As long as you have the Apple Music subscription or any other app subscription active, you can’t change your App Store country profile. First, you need to cancel any app subscription you have active, then only you can change your App Store country profile.
How to Change App Store Country Profile if I have Credit Balance Left in my Account?
You can’t change App Store Country as long as you have any credit balance or funds left in your Apple ID. You can either spend that or ask the Apple Customer support team to remove the unused credit balance left in your Apple ID account. After that, you’ll be able to change the App Store country profile easily.
The Pro Review from TechReviewPro
Changing the country profile on the App Store is not rocket science. Apple already provided you with default functionality to update your country profile in the App Store. And in fact, if you follow the video tutorials I have listed above, you’ll find it even easier.
But according to my point of view, the official method of changing country profile in the App Store is not the best solution as it has some limitations.
Therefore, I would suggest you create a separate Apple ID to play with country profile change. That way, your original Apple ID will remain safe and you can change the App Store country profile any time without any restrictions.
I hope you found this helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’ll keep updating this article with more information and answering your questions.
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