How to Change Region in iPhone Without Losing Your Data

Moving to a new country is a massive headache. You’ve got boxes to unpack, a new lease to sign, and somehow, your phone still thinks you’re sitting in a coffee shop in Seattle when you’re actually in the middle of Berlin. It's annoying. Your apps won't update, your local banking app isn't in the store, and Apple Music is throwing a fit because of licensing restrictions. You need to know how to change region in iPhone settings, but honestly, it’s not as simple as flipping a switch. Apple makes you jump through some specific hoops to make sure they get their tax cut and follow local laws.

If you just go poking around in the settings without a plan, you might find yourself locked out of your subscriptions or unable to download anything at all. It’s a process.

Why the App Store Region Actually Matters

Apple locks your Apple ID to a specific country for a few reasons, mostly involving boring legal stuff like digital distribution rights and tax residency. For example, the US App Store has TikTok, but if you move to India, you’ll find it’s been banned and removed from the local store. If your phone is still set to the US, you can keep the app, but you might struggle to pay for local services with a foreign credit card.

Most people try to change their region because they want an app that isn't available in their current location. Maybe it's a specific game like Honor of Kings before its global release or a niche European streaming service. Whatever the reason, you’ve got to handle your balance first. If you have even $0.05 left in your Apple ID balance, Apple will block the region change. They won't let you leave that nickel behind. You have to spend it or contact Apple Support to have them manually "zero out" your account.

The Checklist Before You Switch

Before we get into the "how-to," you need to do a quick audit of your digital life.

1. Cancel your subscriptions. This is the big one. If you have an active Apple Music, Apple TV+, or iCloud+ subscription, the system will usually stop you from switching. You have to cancel them and wait until the end of the current billing cycle.
2. Back up your stuff. While changing regions shouldn't delete your photos, weird things happen with iCloud Photo Library when you change regions if your storage plan lapses.
3. Get a local payment method. You generally cannot use a US-based Visa card for the French App Store. You need a card issued in the country you are switching to, or a valid PayPal account from that region.

How to Change Region in iPhone: The Step-by-Step Reality

Let's get into the actual taps. Grab your phone.

Open your Settings app. It’s that grey gear icon you probably have buried in a folder somewhere. Tap your name at the very top—that’s your Apple ID banner. From there, you want to hit Media & Purchases. A little menu pops up at the bottom; tap View Account. You might need to use FaceID or your passcode here because Apple wants to be sure it’s actually you trying to mess with the billing settings.

Once you're in, look for Country/Region.

Now, this is where it gets real. Tap Change Country or Region. You’ll see a massive list of every country Apple operates in. Scroll down and find your new home. Tap it. Now comes the "terms and conditions" screen that literally no one has ever read in the history of the world. Tap Agree in the top right corner.

Entering Your New Information

This is where most people get stuck. You have to enter a new payment method and a billing address. If you don't have a local credit card yet, sometimes you can select "None" as a payment option, but Apple has been making that harder and harder lately. Usually, "None" only appears if you don't have active subscriptions or unpaid balances.

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If you are just doing this to download a free app and then switch back, you still need a valid address in that country. You can't just leave it blank. People often use hotel addresses or business addresses for this part, though Apple technically requires you to be a resident.

The "Two Apple ID" Workaround

Honestly? Changing your main account's region is a huge pain because of the subscription cancellations. If you just want to download one specific app from Japan or the UK, there is a much better way. Create a second Apple ID.

You sign out of the App Store (not out of iCloud, just the store), create a brand new account with a secondary email, and set that account to the new region from the start. This keeps your main iCloud, your photos, and your iMessages tied to your primary account, but allows you to flip the App Store back and forth. You just log into the "foreign" account, download the app, and then log back into your "real" account. The app stays on your home screen and usually works just fine.

The only downside to this trick is that when the app needs an update, the iPhone will prompt you for the password of that secondary account. It’s a minor annoyance compared to canceling your 2TB iCloud plan just to move your region for a week.

Dealing With Family Sharing

If you are part of a Family Sharing group, you are basically stuck. Apple does not allow individual family members to have different regions. The "Head of Household" (the Organizer) controls the region for the entire group. If you want to change your region, you have to leave the Family Sharing group first.

This causes immediate problems. You'll lose access to shared subscriptions, and if you were using someone else's storage, your phone might start screaming that you're out of space. Make sure you have a plan for your data before you hit "Leave Family."

What Happens to Your Purchases?

This is a common fear. Will my movies disappear? Will my music go away?

The short answer is: mostly no, but maybe. When you change your region, the apps you’ve already downloaded stay on your phone. However, if an app you bought in the US isn't available in the UK store, you won't be able to redownload it from your "Purchased" list if you delete it. The same goes for movies and books. Most big-name content is available everywhere, but licensing is a fickle beast.

Pro Tip: Always download your purchased movies or music to your device's local storage before switching regions. This ensures you still have access even if the local store doesn't technically "own" the rights to show you that content in your new home.

Troubleshooting Common Errors

If you get an error saying "You have a remaining store credit balance," you can't bypass it. If it's just a few cents, buy the cheapest song or in-game item you can find to zero it out. If it's less than the price of anything, you have to get on a chat with Apple Support. Just tell them, "I'm moving and I need to clear my balance to change regions." They usually fix it in five minutes.

Another common issue is the "Payment Method Declined" screen. This usually happens if you’re using a VPN. Apple is pretty smart about detecting when you're spoofing your location to try and get cheaper subscription prices in regions like Turkey or Brazil. Turn off the VPN, use a local cellular connection or home Wi-Fi, and make sure your credit card's billing address matches the region you selected.

Actionable Next Steps

To successfully change your region without losing your mind, follow this exact sequence:

1. Audit your balance: Check your Apple ID balance in the App Store app (tap your profile icon). If it’s not zero, spend it or contact Apple.
2. Screenshot your subscriptions: Go to Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Take a screenshot so you remember what you need to resubscribe to later.
3. Cancel and Wait: Cancel your active subscriptions. You have to wait until the "Expires on" date passes before the system recognizes you as eligible for a region move.
4. Update your Payment Method: Ensure you have your new country’s credit card or a valid local PayPal ready.
5. Execute the switch: Use the Settings > Media & Purchases path to change the country and enter your new address.
6. Re-download and Re-subscribe: Once the switch is confirmed, go back into the App Store. You might need to search for your favorite apps again to "trigger" the update to the local version.

If you find this too cumbersome—especially the part about waiting for subscriptions to expire—strongly consider the Secondary Apple ID method mentioned earlier. It’s the "pro move" for travelers and app enthusiasts who don't want to mess with their primary iCloud ecosystem.