How to Change Your Google Play Country (Desktop & Mobile)

Google Play only lets you download apps that are available in your region. This means you can’t download Binance in the US, BBC iPlayer outside the UK, or any other app that’s banned in your country. Plus, if you’re traveling internationally, you may lose access to your favorite apps from your original region.

You need to change your Google Play country to gain access to the apps you want. You can easily do that with a VPN, but it comes at a cost. Here are the step-by-step guides to changing Google Play country for both mobile and desktop users.

Note that you can only change your Play Store country once a year. After you do, you won’t be able to use your Play Store balance from your previous region. You also need to add a payment method for the country you’re switching to. 

Why You Need a VPN to Change Your Google Play Country

Google Play uses your IP address to know what country you’re in and that’s how it determines which apps and content to show you. This also means you can’t normally just change your Play Store location without actually moving to another country. 

You won’t see an option to change your country if Google sees no change in your IP address. That’s where CyberGhost VPN comes in. We help you get an IP address from the country of your choice and you won’t even have to leave your home. 

When you connect to one of CyberGhost’s VPN servers, we hide your real IP address and mask it with the server’s IP. For example, if you’re in the US and connect to a server in the UK, you get a UK IP address. As a result, the Google Play Store thinks you’re actually in the UK and gives you an option to change your country. 

Download CyberGhost VPN to get started with changing your country on the Play Store. Let’s start with the Mobile guide first. 

How to Change Your Country in Google Play Store – Mobile

Once you’ve got the CyberGhost VPN app installed on your Android or iOS, you can start with the steps below. 

  1. Connect to a VPN server: Open CyberGhost VPN on your phone and connect to a server in the country you want to switch to. For example, if you want to change your Google Play country to Germany, connect to a server in Germany. 
  1. Clear Your Google Play Store App Data: Go to your phone’s Settings and scroll down to the Apps option. Tap on it and locate the Google Play Store app. Open the app’s Storage settings and tap on Clear Data

Note: Don’t worry, this won’t delete any of your apps. It just resets the Play Store so it uses your new IP address the next time you open it. 

  1. Open the settings menu on your Play Store app: Tap on your profile icon at the top right corner, then tap on Settings.
  1. Select General and click on Account and device preferences.
  1. Switch Country: When the Play Store detects you’re connected to the internet with a different country’s IP address, it offers you the option to switch your country. 

How to Get Around Adding the Payment Method

When you’ve switched your Google Play country on the app, it asks you to add a payment method for the new country. This is not a problem if you’re actually moving countries and have a legit payment method. But if you don’t have it, I have a workaround for you. 

To successfully change your country and use a new payment method, you can create a new Google account and log in to the Play Store with it. Alternatively, you can use an account that doesn’t have a payment method linked to it. 

Remember that you won’t be able to use your old payment method in the new country unless it works there. Plus, any balance on your old account won’t carry over to the new country. 

Connect to your VPN server of choice, create a new Google account, and add it to the Play Store app. Repeat step 2 above to clear your app data on the Play Store again and open it. You should now see your location changed to the new country and all the relevant apps on display. If not, you can repeat the steps above. If you run into any snags, get in touch with our 24/7 customer support team.

How to Change Your Country in Google Play Store – Desktop

You need a VPN to change your Play Store country on a PC too. But first, you need to create a new payment profile for the other country. Don’t worry, it’s much simpler than switching countries on the Play Store mobile app. 

  1. Go to pay.google.com on your browser: This will take you to the Google payments center. The page you land on depends on whether you use your account frequently, or you’re using a completely fresh account. 
  1.  Add a payment method (for fresh accounts): Skip this step if you’re using an old account. When you set up a new payment profile, add your credit or debit card details with your address. Use your address in the new country. If you don’t have one, consider using the address of a hotel or a business.

Sometimes your card may not work for a different country and you may see the following message: “Your card issuer has declined the request.”Don’t worry, you can still create your payment profile without the card getting accepted. Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll find your profile set up for the new country. 

  1. Go to the Settings tab.
  1. Change your country/region: Click on the pencil icon next to Country/Region. The dropdown will give you an option to create a new profile. Click on it. 
  1. Select the country you want to switch to: Remember, it has to be the same country as the VPN server you connect to. 
  1. Add an address: You will need an actual address to set up your payments profile for the new country. But finding one is easy. I just typed in a random neighborhood and Google did the rest for me. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to match the address you entered in step two.
  1. Go to the profile settings to confirm: Once you’re done with this, you’ve successfully created a payments profile for the new country. 
  1. Connect to CyberGhost VPN: The next step is to use CyberGhost VPN to change your IP address to the country you’re switching to. Just connect to a server in that country and that’s it. For example, I got a German IP address with CyberGhost VPN to access the German Play Store. Choose a server in the country you want to change to. 
  1. Open the Play Store on your browser: Go to the top charts section in the Google Play Store and you’ll see all the popular apps in the country you chose. In this example, you can see the German version of eBay and other apps. 

What If You Can’t Change Your Play Store Country

If you can’t change your country on the Google Play Store after trying all the steps above, chances are you’ve already changed your country in the last year. If you’re certain you haven’t changed it, update your Play Store app to the latest version and try again.

Does that leave you wondering how you update the app that updates all the other apps on your phone? It’s easy. Click on your profile picture on the Play Store and select Settings, then select the About option. Tap on Play Store version.

Select Update Play Store. You’ll get a notification if your Play Store app is up to date. If not, the app will start downloading the latest update on its own. Close the app and try again after a few minutes. Things should work now.

If you still can’t sort it out, we recommend you take another route. You can always download the apps you want without switching your Play Store country. Here’s how to do that. 

How to Download an App without Changing Your Google Play Store Country

If you’re not willing to change your Play Store country, you can still download the apps you want via sideloading. This refers to downloading apps directly from the web in the form of APK files. Note that this is not the most secure method – as downloading files from unknown sources can lead to a malware infection.

Before you download an APK file from a website, we recommend you follow good cyber hygiene to minimize the risk. Use a VPN to protect your digital identity and use anti-malware software to keep harmful files off your devices. 

Simply Google the app you want to install and add the term ‘APK’ next to it. Download the file from a credible APK site and install it on your Android. You might have to grant your device permission to install apps from unknown sources first.

If you’re on PC, you can also use Android apps by downloading an Android emulator. Simply download the APK files on your computer and run them on the emulator. You still need to be careful when you download files from different websites. Use the CyberGhost Security Suite for Windows to keep your computer safe from harmful files.   

Bottom Line

You can easily access the Google Play Store library from any country if you change your country with the help of a VPN. Use CyberGhost VPN as our super-fast speeds let you download the largest apps as quickly as possible. We also have thousands of servers across 91 countries, meaning you’ve got plenty of choices to change your Google Play country.

Remember, you can only change your country once per year, and you can’t use your Play Store balance from your previous country in the new one. Because of that, the best strategy is to use separate profiles to switch to the country of your choice in a jiffy. 

FAQ

Why should I change my Google Play Store Country?

You should change your Google Play country if you move to a new country and want to access the app library over there. You might also want to change it if you want to download an app that’s not available in your region. Use CyberGhost VPN to get an IP address located in the country of your choice and change your Play Store country with ease. 

How can I change my Play Store country?

You need an IP address from the country you want to change to. You can easily get an IP address from the country of your choice with CyberGhost VPN. We have thousands of servers across 91 countries so you can get any country’s IP address you want. Once you connect to a VPN server, go to the Play Store and create a new payment profile for the new country. That’s it. Check out our step-by-step guides for mobile and desktop for more detailed instructions.

How do I change my Google Play country without paying?

You don’t have to pay to change your Google Play country. The Play Store asks you to add a payment method when you change your country. If you want to skip that too, use a fresh Google account or an account that doesn’t have a payment method already linked to it. Whenever you have to make a payment online, make sure your traffic is secure with CyberGhost VPN’s state-of-the-art encryption

Are there any problems with changing countries on the Google Play Store? 

Changing your Play Store country comes with a few conditions. First, you can’t use your Play Store balance from your old country in the new one. Second, you may lose access to movies, music, or books from your current library if they aren’t available in the new country. Third, you can only change your country on the Play Store once a year. 
Always use a proper VPN like CyberGhost to keep your data safe when you change your location on the Play Store. Low quality and free VPN often sell your data to make profits and sabotage your privacy.  

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