How To Change the Country in the Google Play Store

How many times has it happened to you that you tried to download a certain app from the Google Play Store only to find that the app wasn’t available for your country? Needless to say, this can be quite frustrating.

The reason behind this is the fact that your Google Play Store country determines which apps you are allowed to download and install. Furthermore, some apps are region-locked, which means that they are only available in certain countries. If you’re not in one of those countries, not only will you not be allowed to download the app from the Play Store but you won’t be able to find it in the first place.

With that being said, if you move to another country where said app might be available, you should change this setting in your Google Play Store app. This article will explain how.

Things to Keep in Mind

Before we move on to the main part of the article, let’s talk about some things that you need to keep in mind. First of all, if you just want to get rid of the “Not available in your country” message while remaining in the same country, there is a solution that might work. We’ll discuss that later in the article.

However, if you have changed your country and now want to adjust this setting in your Google Play Store app, there are some restrictions to be aware of:

1. The Google Play Store allows you to change your country in the app only once per year. In other words, if you change your country now, you will have to wait 365 days to change it again.
2. Once you change your country in the app, you won’t be allowed to use the Google Play balance that you had in your old country.

Now that we have covered the important aspects of this change, let’s see how you can do it.

Changing the Country in Your Google Play Store App on Android

To change your country in the Google Play Store app, you have to:

1. Be in that country (the store detects this via your IP address)
2. Set up a payment method from your new country

If you have that covered, you’re good to go.

Here is how to change this setting:

1. Open the Google Play Store app on your Android device.
2. Tap on the menu icon in the upper left corner (three horizontal lines).
3. Next, tap on Settings > General > Account and device preferences.
4. Scroll down from the settings tab and look for the Country and profiles section.
5. Then, tap on the country that you want to set your account to, the available list of countries will vary.
6. Follow the instructions on the screen and set up a payment method registered in the country you want to switch to.
   

You can add several payment methods, but the very first one has to be from the country that you have set. This will create an entirely new Google Payments profile which will be linked to the new country that you have entered.

Once you have done that, it might take up to 48 hours for the change to be accepted.

You should know that this feature isn’t available to everyone. The feature will only give you the option to change your country if you have previously visited a foreign country. As mentioned, the Google Play Store app has this information because of your IP address.

You also won’t be able to change your country if you have already used this feature within the previous year or if your account is part of a Google Play Family Library, which allows up to five people to access the apps and other purchased content from a single account in the group.

Changing the Country in Your Google Play Store App on a Computer

1. Open up a browser and go to pay.google.com.
2. Sign-in if you aren’t already.
3. Now, click on Settings.
4. Then, click on the Edit button next to Country/Region.
5. Next, select Create a new profile.
6. From here, follow the instructions to add a payment method.

Downloading an App Without Changing the Country Setting

If you can’t or don’t want to change your country, there is something else you can try if you want to download an app that isn’t available in your current location. This method requires a VPN service. But how does that work?

Google’s servers can read your IP address and determine where you are currently located. Since your computer or mobile phone is directly connected to their servers, all that you need to do is find a different route.

That’s exactly what a VPN does. Essentially, your phone (or computer) will be connecting to your VPN provider’s server in a country of your choosing, and that server will then connect to Google’s servers posing as your device.

That way, the app won’t be able to figure out where you are currently located at as it won’t see your actual IP address. Instead, it will see the address of the VPN server you’re using to access the service.

So, if an app isn’t available in your country but you know that it is available in the United States, all that you need to do is select the United States as the location of your VPN server.

You can use tons of different VPN apps to do this, but TunnelBear VPN may be one of the best and easiest to use. Plus, you get 500MB of free VPN traffic at the start of every month. There are other trustworthy VPN providers out there, but you will need to pay for their services.

Your other option is to look for apps similar to the Google Play Store and use them to find the app that you weren’t able to download. You can try:

1. Amazon Appstore
2. SlideME
3. F-Droid
4. Humble Bundle

Enjoy Your Future Downloads

After reading this article, you now know how to change your location in the Google Play Store. Remember the restrictions that will occur when you change your country, though, so if you’re only going on a short trip, it’s best to wait to get back home to download the app you need.

Do you use VPN services to download apps that aren’t available in your country? If so, what VPN do you use? Share your top picks in the comments section below.