The App Store region determines which apps, games, music, podcasts and pricing you see on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Apple ties it to your Apple ID country which affects everything from the Netflix catalog to which banks Apple Pay supports. But sometimes you want to change your App Store region for many reasons, e.g., you moved to a different country, you want access to an app not available in your region or you need a different App Store currency.
Heads up before you start. Changing region is not just a setting click. Apple requires you to cancel subscriptions, spend any store credit and update your payment method first. Trust me on this, skip those and Apple will block the change.
This easy guide will help you change your App Store region by walking you through the prerequisites, the actual change steps and helping you avoid the most common reason Apple rejects the switch.
Before You Change Your Region
Real quick. Apple has a strict checklist. Miss any item and the region change fails.
- Cancel all active subscriptions. Apple Music, iCloud Plus, Apple One, third-party app subscriptions. All have to be canceled.
- Spend your Apple ID balance to zero. Any leftover store credit blocks the change because it cannot transfer across regions.
- Wait for any pending refunds, pre-orders or family sharing changes to clear.
- Have a valid payment method for the new country. A credit card with a billing address in the new country or None as a payment option (if available).
Do all this first. Then start the actual change.
Method 1: Change App Store Region on iPhone or iPad
This is the standard path. Works on iPhone and iPad the same way.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap your name at the top.
- Tap Media & Purchases.
- Tap View Account. You may need to sign in.
- Tap Country/Region.
- Tap Change Country or Region.
- Pick the new country.
- Read and agree to the new terms.
- Enter a valid payment method and billing address for the new country.
- Tap Next.
Done. The App Store catalog and pricing now reflect your new region.
Method 2: Change App Store Region on Mac
Slightly different menu but same idea.
- Open the App Store on your Mac.
- Click your name at the bottom left.
- Click View Information at the top right.
- Sign in if asked.
- Click Change Country/Region.
- Pick the new country and agree to terms.
- Enter new payment info and billing address.
- Click Continue.
Same outcome. Mac and iPhone share the same Apple ID region.
Method 3: Change Region from Apple ID Website
If the device-based path is not working, do it from a browser.
- Go to appleid.apple.com on any browser.
- Sign in with your Apple ID.
- Click Personal Information.
- Click Country/Region.
- Click Change Country or Region.
- Follow the prompts.
Sometimes the website path works when the device path fails. I have seen this happen on a few accounts.
What If Apple Will Not Let You Change
Apple gives you a generic error. Heads up, here are the actual reasons:
- You still have an active subscription. Check Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions for sneaky auto-renewing ones.
- You have store credit left. Even a few cents will block it.
- You have a pending pre-order. Cancel it.
- Your payment method does not match the new country. The billing address country has to match the new region.
- You changed regions recently. Apple makes you wait 90 days between region changes.
If none of those, contact Apple Support directly.
My Honest Opinion
Personally I would only change region if I genuinely moved countries. Switching just to grab one missing app is usually not worth it. You lose access to your region’s apps and have to redo all your subscriptions.
If you just want one app that is not in your store, check if it has a website version or an APK if you have Android nearby. Easier than a full region switch.
Final Thoughts
Changing App Store region takes a few minutes once you cancel subscriptions and spend down your balance. Settings > Apple ID > Media & Purchases > View Account > Country/Region.
You can also clean up your iPhone while you are in Settings.
Also, if you follow our steps and still face difficulties changing your App Store region, seek help from Apple Support or leave a comment in the comment section of our blog.