how to download an app from another country app store without changing payment or telephone number

Question

how to download an app from another country app store without changing payment or telephone number

We are traveling an lot in Europe and we also do live in two countries. My phone is registered in Germany but I need to download an app from France. Before I simply set my region to France and it worked fine. Now App Store didn’t change and I read, I have to set my whole Apple ID to France where then all of the payments are cleared and French phone number is required. That is ridiculous! Dear Apple, there has to be a way to download regional apps also for foreigners.

can I please open a feature request and can someone please help me?

for now I have to install a new phone with a new ID…

thanks, Wenling

iPhone 17

Gepostet am 09. Juli 2026 10:05

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09. Juli 2026 20:51 als Antwort auf wenling

I’d avoid setting up a whole new iPhone just for this.

The App Store country is tied to your Apple Account country/region, not just where you physically are. Apple also requires a valid payment method for the new country or region, and you may need to spend any balance, cancel subscriptions, and deal with other account items before switching.

Apple explains the requirements here:

Change your Apple Account country or region - Apple Support

Unfortunately, there isn’t a normal App Store option to download an app from another country’s store while keeping the same Apple Account set to Germany. The practical options are usually:

Use the German App Store version if the developer offers one.

Ask the app developer if they can make the app available in Germany.

Create a separate Apple Account for the French App Store, then sign into Media & Purchases with that account only when you need to download or update that app.

I agree it’s frustrating for people who live across borders, but this is mostly controlled by App Store country/region availability and the developer’s distribution choices.

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