To change the App Store country on an iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, tap Media & Purchases, then tap Country/Region. Pick the new country, agree to the terms, and add a payment method and billing address from that country.
Before the switch will go through, you have to spend any Apple Account balance, let blocking subscriptions run out, and leave any Family Sharing group. If you only want your iPhone to show local date formats, temperature units and calendar, that’s a different setting: Settings > General > Language & Region > Region, and it has none of those requirements.
Which “country” setting do you need?
An iPhone has two separate country settings, and changing one doesn’t change the other.
| Setting | Where it is | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Account country or region | Settings > your name > Media & Purchases > Country/Region | Which App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV and Books storefront you see, what you can buy, prices and the payment methods Apple accepts |
| iPhone region | Settings > General > Language & Region > Region | Date, time and number formats, the calendar, the default temperature unit and other local formatting |
If you moved abroad, you’ll usually want to change both. If an app is “not available in your country or region,” only the Apple Account setting matters.
Before you change your Apple Account country
Apple blocks the change until these are cleared, so check them first:
- Store balance: spend any money left from gift cards or refunds. If what’s left is less than the price of the cheapest item, contact Apple Support. Apple doesn’t pay out a balance as cash except where the law requires it.
- Subscriptions: cancel any subscription that blocks the change, then wait until its current period ends. You can check them in our guide to finding and canceling iPhone subscriptions.
- Pending items: wait for memberships, pre-orders, movie rentals, Season Passes and pending refunds to finish.
- Family Sharing: you can’t change regions while you’re in a Family Sharing group, so leave the group first.
- Payment method: have a card or other payment method issued in the new country ready.
Warning: Some apps, songs, movies, TV shows and books you already bought may not be offered in the new storefront. Download anything you want to keep on the iPhone before you switch.
How to change your App Store country on iPhone
- Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
- Tap Media & Purchases. Sign in with your Apple Account password if asked. If a small menu pops up, tap View Account.
- Tap Country/Region.
- Tap Change Country or Region if you see it, then choose your new country from the list.
- Tap Continue, read the Terms & Conditions, then tap Agree.
- Enter a payment method and billing address from the new country, then tap Done.
When it works, the App Store switches to the new storefront. Search for an app that was unavailable before to confirm. The change applies to your Apple Account, so your iPad and Mac signed in with the same account follow it.
Other ways to make the same change
You can also change it on the web: sign in at account.apple.com, select Personal Information, then Country/Region, and follow the prompts. On a Mac, open the Music or TV app and choose Account > Account Settings from the menu bar.
How to change the region setting on your iPhone
This changes formats only. It doesn’t touch your Apple Account, your purchases or the App Store.
- Open Settings and tap General.
- Tap Language & Region.
- Tap Region.
- Search for or scroll to the country, then tap it. If your iPhone asks you to confirm, choose the option to change to that region.
The Region Format Example at the bottom of the Language & Region screen updates to show how dates, times and numbers will look. On the same screen you can also change the Calendar, Temperature unit and the order of your preferred languages.
Your time zone is a separate setting again. If the clock is wrong after a move, see how to change the time zone on iPhone.
Why won’t my iPhone let me change the country?
If the App Store says you can’t change your country or region, one of the requirements above is still open. Work through them in this order:
- Check Settings > your name > Subscriptions for any active subscription, including Apple One or iCloud+ plans that are still in a paid period.
- Look at your balance in the App Store: tap your photo at the top right. Spend it, or contact Apple Support if it’s too small to spend.
- If you’re in a Family Sharing group, leave it from Settings > Family (on older iOS versions, Settings > your name > Family Sharing).
- Wait for any pre-order, rental or refund to finish, then try again.
If you don’t have a payment method from the new country yet, Apple suggests you can create a new Apple Account after you move instead. Purchases stay with the account that made them, so a new account starts with none of your old apps or media. Treat it as a last resort.
Common questions
Do I lose my apps when I change country?
Apps already installed stay on your iPhone. But updates and redownloads only work for apps that exist in the new storefront, which is why Apple recommends downloading content first. If an app disappears later, our guide to getting deleted apps back shows where your purchase history lives.
Does changing the region in Settings change the App Store?
No. General > Language & Region only changes formats. The App Store follows the country of your Apple Account.
Can I use a VPN to reach another country’s App Store?
No. The storefront is tied to your Apple Account country and payment details, not to your internet location.
Can I switch back later?
Yes, with the same steps and the same requirements, including a payment method from that country.
Matthew Roberts is the founder and editor of ARS Digitech. He started the site to answer the iPhone questions his friends and family kept asking him, and it has grown into a library of iPhone and iOS how-to guides. Matthew writes and maintains every tutorial on the site, checking steps and menu names against Apple’s official support documentation and updating guides when an iOS release moves a setting.