The Google Play Store is the one-stop-shop for all apps and games for Android devices. It is easy to use and install new apps or games on your phone. Simply open the Google Play Store, search the app you want to download, and install it on your device. However, the apps and games that are available to download or use will change depending on what country you are in.
If you move to a new country you will want to change the country in your Google Play Store so you can have access to the apps and games for that region.
Warning
Before you change your country in the Google Play Store you need to be aware of a couple of things. First, you can only change your Google Play Store country once per year. So if you are in the country for just a vacation or a few months do not change your country. Only change it if you have moved to the country and plan on being there for at least one year.
You could possibly trick your phone by using a VPN if you are only in the country for a little while, but it is not worth it just to get access to a few apps. You would be locked into a Play Store outside of your region for quite a while and constantly inconvenienced by it. If you are only going to be in a different country for a short time try using the best Google Play alternatives to try and find apps that are not in the Play Store.
Second, when you change the country you cannot use the old payment method you had listed on your Google Play Store. When you change the country you will need to have a new payment method from the country you are in to enter into your new profile. This also means that when you change your country you will not be able to use any of the Google Play balance you had from the old country. This includes any gift cards you may have added but have not spent yet in addition to any credits earned from Google Opinion Rewards.
How to Change your Google Play Country on Android 10
Now, if you have really moved to a new country and will be there for at least a year the steps below will help you get it done. To change your Google Play Store country you must be in the country and have a payment method from the new country.
- On your Android device open the Google Play Store.
- Tap the Menu symbol of three lines right under one another.
- When the menu comes up, tap on Account.
- If you do not have a payment method from that new country, you will need to add a payment method first.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to add a payment method to the country you need to change to.
- The first payment method you add must be from the country you are adding a profile for. After you have created the profile you can add payment methods from other countries.
- Doing this automatically creates a new Google Payments profile linked to the new country. The Google Play Store will routinely change to the new country, but it can to up to 24 hours to change.
Changing the Google Play Store country is super easy to do but you need to make sure you have everything in place before you change it. You also need to make sure that you really want to change your country since you can only change the country once per year.
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