How To Switch Your App Store Country on iPhone Easily

How to Change the Region on Your iPhone

Honestly, trying to change the regional settings on an iPhone can be more frustrating than it should be. If you’ve ever gone into Settings, tapped on General, then tried to switch the Region, only to find the option grayed out or not sticking — yeah, I’ve been there. You’d think it’d be straightforward, but sometimes it’s not. The good news is, after some poking around and trial-and-error, I finally got it to work, so here’s what finally helped me get past those hurdles.

Getting Your iPhone Ready Before Making Changes

First off, make sure your device is totally ready. It sounds basic, but I’ve rebooted my phone more than I care to admit just to get a stable Wi-Fi connection—so, yeah, a good, solid internet connection is key. Also, check that no VPN is active. VPNs can interfere with region detection because traffic is rerouted through different servers. In Settings > General > VPN & Device Management, or in your VPN app if you’ve got one, turn off VPNs. Even a toggle in the Control Center can sometimes cause trouble if it’s active, so double-check. Weirdly enough, VPNs have messed with my attempts to change country settings more than once.

Next, update your iPhone if possible. Apple loves to patch bugs in system updates, and I found that updating to the latest iOS version sometimes makes the region switch smoother. Head over to Settings > General > Software Update and grab whatever’s new. No shortcuts—if your device isn’t running the latest, try to update; it can resolve a lot of weird quirks.

Navigating to the Region Settings

Once you’ve prepared everything, go into Settings. You’re looking for General, then scroll down to find Language & Region. On my older iPhone, it was buried a bit deeper in Settings > General > Language & Region, but on newer iOS versions, it’s straightforward. Sometimes it’s right there on the main Settings page, depending on your layout or iOS version. You’ll see a section labeled Region, which is where you should tap.

If the Region option is grayed out, don’t panic. That happened to me once or twice. Usually, it’s because the iPhone isn’t fully activated, or there’s an Apple ID account restriction. Make sure you’re signed in with an Apple ID that isn’t locked or restricted from making regional changes. Also, ensure you’ve accepted all the prompts in your Apple ID settings, especially if it’s linked to a different country.

Changing the Region

Tap the Region menu. You’ll see a list of countries. Be aware—sometimes, the list can be unexpectedly blank, or the options don’t respond. If that happens, verify your device is unlocked and fully activated, and try restarting your iPhone. If the list is still unresponsive, check your Apple ID’s country/region setting (see below).Once you have a working list, pick your desired region. For example, if your device is set in Pakistan but you want it to behave as if it’s in the U. S., just select United States.

Changing region affects more than just language. It influences your keyboard layout (you can check this under Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards), app availability on the App Store, and regional services. Sometimes, changing the region causes apps to stop working until you reconfigure your Apple ID’s country. That’s another layer of complication, but important to keep in mind.

After selecting the new region, your iPhone might ask you to restart or refresh some settings. I recommend rebooting just to be safe. How? Press and hold Volume Up + Side Button until the Apple logo appears. Once it’s back up, check if the region change stuck by going back into Settings > General > Language & Region. If it’s set correctly, then you’re probably done.

Other Tips & Troubleshooting Stuff

If the change doesn’t stick, or you get an error, double-check if your Apple ID has regional restrictions. Your Apple ID’s country setting can override device-level preferences, especially for things like the App Store or iCloud. To verify or change that, go to Settings > your Apple ID > Media & Purchases > View Account > Country/Region. Switching this can be a pain, because it often requires you to update your payment info to match the new country. True, it can be annoying—credit card info, PayPal, or Apple ID balance often needs to be reconfigured.

And don’t forget, if you use an Apple Watch, or have multiple devices linked via Family Sharing, these settings can sometimes take a little while to sync across everything. Logging out of iCloud on your device (Settings > Apple ID > Sign Out) and signing back in can help, but don’t forget to back up first—it’s a lifesaver.

Wrapping It Up

Changing your iPhone’s region isn’t always seamless, especially if iOS updates or restrictions get in the way. From my experience, making sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi, that VPNs are off, and your device is updated will help you avoid most issues. Once in Settings > General > Language & Region, picking the right country usually works fine—just sometimes, it needs a reboot or a few toggles here and there.

My advice? Stay patient, try restarting after the change, and keep an eye on your Apple ID country settings if things aren’t cooperating. Hope this saves someone else a ton of frustration—I spent way too long figuring it out myself.

Hope this helped — it took me way too long to figure it out. For a quick double-check—

Wi-Fi is solid and active
VPN is turned off
System is fully updated
Apple ID’s country matches your desired region
Device rebooted after changing settings

Anyway, good luck — and hopefully this saves someone a weekend. Cheers!