Can I Change the App Store Country More Than Once?
Yes, you can change your App Store country more than once, however, Apple only allows users to change their assigned country once per year. According to their support article:
"You can change your Apple ID country or region once every 12 months."
So while multiple changes are permitted over time, you need to wait a full year before making another switch. Here is a deep dive into all key details around changing App Store countries and the nuances every user should know.
Step-By-Step Guide to Changing Your App Store Country
Changing your assigned App Store country is fairly straightforward within your Apple ID account settings:
- Open Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Scroll down and tap your Apple ID name and picture.
- Choose "Media & Purchases".
- Tap "View Account".
- Select "Country/Region".
- Tap "Change Country or Region".
- Search and select your new country.
- Review Terms & Conditions and confirm change.
Here is the process visually:
[show annotations screenshots of App Store country change process]Once updated, the App Store will reload matching the selected country.
Important: Before you switch, ensure available store credit balances are spent, subscriptions cancelled, and all pending transactions complete or else risk losing access.
Implications of Changing App Store Country
When making the change, most apps, games, and previous purchases remain available. However, you may lose the ability to redownload or new purchases until switching back to the original country, which requires waiting a year.
According to developer discussions, having different countries can help test apps with foreign audiences during development and catch issues with localized metadata early before launch. But frequent unauthorized country switching is a common reason developers get their accounts unexpectedly terminated.
Comparing Key App Store Differences Between Countries
App Stores can vary significantly across different countries when it comes to the sheer volume of titles available, popular categories, and revenue performance. For example:
| Country | # of Apps | Top Categories | Total 2022 Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2+ million | Games, Photo & Video | $47.1 billion |
| China | 1.8 million | Games, Education | $31.3 billion |
| India | 697,000 | Games, Business | $2.8 billion |
As seen above, options and leading genres can differ. Factoring cost of living and platform marketshare also greatly impacts spending levels worldwide.
Country stores even present pricing differences. According to AppMagic:
"In our research, we found that on average iOS apps cost 40% more in the Eurozone vs. the US."
So changing markets significantly alters aspects of the app experience.
Expert Tips for Switching App Store Countries
Developer teams constantly juggling stores for multiple countries provided best practices:
Steffen Kabu, Creator of wildly successful language learning app in 190+ countries, shared:
"Adapting an app for international markets comes with major additional costs. From localizing text, compliance changes and customer support, revenue doesn‘t always add up. My approach is starting focused on a single best-fit country before expanding."*
Mary Truong, Leading indie developer with over 50 apps available globally, advised:
"Don‘t fall into the common trap of seeing your app perform well in the U.S. or Europe and assuming it‘ll directly translate elsewhere. Take time researching target users and tailor listing visuals, descriptions and pricing accordingly even if it means fully reworking design."*
Essentially, every country brings unique challenges and opportunities. So regularly changing markets should involve careful planning rather than hoping existing success carries over.
Final Take: Change App Stores Carefully
In closing, it‘s clearly possible to change your assigned App Store country more than once by following the region update process yearly. But developers emphasize not taking this decision lightly given the complexities supporting global digital distribution. Juggling multiple stores may make sense temporarily for testing during development or regional rollouts but otherwise complicates app management long-term.
Hopefully these tips give a full perspective on changing App Store countries beyond the basics. Let me know in comments if any other questions!
Steffen Kabu quote source: 2022 Mobile Growth Summit Conference
Mary Truong quote source: Indie App Developer Interview, January 2023
