What Happens if You Change the Region on Your iPhone?
If you’re moving to a new country or region, you need to update your iPhone to match your new location. Doing so is easy, but the implications are more complex. The region your iPhone is set to should match the region/country where you live. That’s because the region determines what features, content, and services are available. For instance, not all apps or movies are available in all countries, and different laws in each country mean that some features of the iPhone—such as iMessage, Find My, or FaceTime—are not available. (Apple maintains a useful country-by-country list.) When you change the region on your iPhone, you are indicating where you live and thus what set of laws and agreements govern your iPhone, and what services should be available to you. If you’ve moved from one region to another, may lose access to content available in your previous country (though you may gain new kinds, too).
What to Do Before Changing Your iPhone Region
Before you change the region on your iPhone, do the following things:
Cancel subscriptions, including iTunes Match. You may be able to re-subscribe in your new location. Spend money you have stored in your Apple ID, You’ll need to do this because balances don’t carry over across countries/regions. Cancel memberships, pre-orders for media, Season Passes, or other content purchases or let them expire. You may be able to re-purchase them in your new region. Download any apps or media (music, movies, TV, etc) you want to make sure you’ll have. Since some things available in your current region/country may not be available in your new one, downloading ensures you’ll them have. Have a valid form of payment located in your new region/country.
