Downloading US apps in the UK?

[scouser75]

Guys, I'm in the UK but also have a US Apple account using a Yahoo email address. Would it be possible to sign out of my UK account on my iPad and sign into the US account and then download US apps? I want to download the Peacock app to watch UK soccer (football to us in the UK LOL)? I'll be using a VPN to do this.

 

[Slartibart]

most likely the download but the geofencing by Peacock is the problem. Probably no problem switching between the different accounts - I have none for different european accounts. YMMV

 

[scouser75]

I'm planning on using a vpn to get round this. Hopefully it works.

 

[foliovision]

What matters for which Apple store you get, is which country you signed up for in the first place. We're stuck (it's okay to be honest as we are between four countries) with Canada, despite living in Austria with office in Slovakia.

If your Apple account is UK-based, a VPN will not help you get US apps. Here's an example. Pandora is only available in the US App Store. We can't download it from the Canadian app store and have no way to download Pandora even with VPN or standing on our heads. Apple wouldn't be able to help us either. We'd have to move our app store to the US. Migrating between stores creates all kinds of havoc and can mean losing paid apps you already have.

The smart companies make their apps available internationally. We can download European banking apps, even from the Canadian store.

 

[yukari]

Yes, you can select the country for app store and download from there. Then use VPN to watch peacock.

I've done this while traveling to an Asian country for work.

 

[foliovision]

Yes, you can select the country for app store and download from there

Interesting. Please send more details about how to switch between app stores and any consequences. I’ve always benn warned about losing some purchases.

 

[SpotOnT]

Interesting. Please send more details about how to switch between app stores and any consequences. I’ve always benn warned about losing some purchases.

I think you just sign up for a new Apple ID - selecting the country you want at that time. Then log out of your current Apple ID and log in with the new Apple ID.

If you are on a Mac you can just create separate user accounts and sign in with different Apple IDs. On iOS it is a bit more annoying, but yes you can download the app you want, then sign back into your original Apple ID.

The app will still work, but it won’t be able to update. To update the app you will have to sign into the Apple ID used to download the app.

Obviously any purchased media can only be accessed when logged into the Apple ID that purchased the media.

I have no idea how “Family Sharing” works if you try to share content with someone in a different region.

 

[maternidad]

What matters for which Apple store you get, is which country you signed up for in the first place. We're stuck (it's okay to be honest as we are between four countries) with Canada, despite living in Austria with office in Slovakia.

If your Apple account is UK-based, a VPN will not help you get US apps. Here's an example. Pandora is only available in the US App Store. We can't download it from the Canadian app store and have no way to download Pandora even with VPN or standing on our heads. Apple wouldn't be able to help us either. We'd have to move our app store to the US. Migrating between stores creates all kinds of havoc and can mean losing paid apps you already have.

The smart companies make their apps available internationally. We can download European banking apps, even from the Canadian store.

They’re going to use a US account, and then a VPN to access in-app content. It sounds like a perfect plan to me.

 

[DD88]

Create a new American Apple ID like “Spruce McClean” and you should be able to do it.

 

[Slartibart]

Interesting. Please send more details about how to switch between app stores and any consequences. I’ve always benn warned about losing some purchases.

you "loose" your history of purchases when switching accounts/Appstores - already installed apps continue on your device working. Caveat: not sure about subscriptions.

 

[contacos]

I have been doing this since before the iPhone was even released. My US Apple ID is the main one but when I need something from the German store, I just quickly switch to my German Apple ID for the STORE not the whole system. Download the app and switch back to my US (main) account

 

[maternidad]

Create a new American Apple ID like “Spruce McClean” and you should be able to do it.

They already have one. No one’s read the post.

 

[foliovision]

This is useful real world experience guys. Thanks for sharing. Had no idea switching stores would work at all on an iPhone, as iOS is so tightly tied to one's Apple ID.

 

[SpotOnT]

This is useful real world experience guys. Thanks for sharing. Had no idea switching stores would work at all on an iPhone, as iOS is so tightly tied to one's Apple ID.

It is definitely a bit of a mess on iOS. Things like your messages/notes/mail etc can get synced odd across the different Apple IDs (depending on your settings for various apps and what you connect to iCloud). But if you really just need an app from a different region Apple store, you can briefly sign in and sign out without causing too many problems. Then use a VPN to access content for that foreign app.

For regular cross-region Apple ID use, having a Mac with different user accounts is definitely the better way to go. Of course with a Mac you aren't limited to apps from the App Store, so it isn't as big of an issue to begin with.

 

[yukari]

Interesting. Please send more details about how to switch between app stores and any consequences. I’ve always benn warned about losing some purchases.

On iPhone (ipad should work similarly).
Open App Store app.
Click on your acct.
click on Country/Region
Change Country/Region