Once you move from one country to another with an iPhone you will soon realise that each country has its own Apple App Store. To get local apps you will need to change app store country on your apple device (i.e iPhone, iPad etc).
This task really shouldn't be this complicated... but if moving to Australia has taught one thing, it's how un-global the world really is. You cant even use services like PayPal for paying for things locally, without first closing your original account and creating an Australia based one. I know there are financial rules and regulations imposed by each country but in the global world we live in I just assumed it would be better. See here for more details on this
Anyway back to the multiple app stores.. you will need to change app store country to your local one, this will then allow you to access the apps that are only available on the local store. You will be OK with apps such as Facebook, uber, paypal, ebay etc which are available on most app stores around the world. But apps such as local bank accounts i.e. NAB, ANZ, West Pac, Commonwealth in oz are only available on the Australian Apple App store.
Below you will find the steps required to change your location within your iPhone/icloud/iTunes settings. Please note doing this will not effect the current apps installed on your device. However if the apps are only available in the UK or your original country you will need to switch your location back before they can be updated:-(
What you will need before you start!!
Before you change app country store for your iPhone you will need is an Australian postal address and a payment method such as Paypal , VISA or MasterCard registered in Australia. An eftpos only card will not work, in-fact this will not work for anything online.
If you only have an eftpos card please go to your bank and ask for a VISA debit card. Alternatively get a pre-paid VISA travel money card which you can re-load manually. Then simply load it up with Australian dollars and you can pay anywhere you see the VISA logo, like you would any other credit card. NAB do a travel card which I used to link to my iTunes account
Note:
You can't transfer to a new country/region if you have credit on your iTunes account. There isn't really much i can say about this, seems ridiculous but luckily I only had 56p on myn so wasn't too difficult to spend.
Steps required to change iPhone app store country
Once you are ready, follow the below steps to change over your location... it is quite easy to do once you know how. You could also create a second icloud/itunes account for the new country but this would mean that all your details, photos etc would be separated across two accounts.
Go to settings
Within settings click on your iCloud account at the top
iTunes & App Store
Now click on the iTunes & App Store option
Select your Apple ID
Now click on the email address associated with your Apple ID, and then the "View Apple ID" option on the popup screen.
Change Country/Region
Now click the "Country/Region" option and then Change Country Region on the following popup.
Select new Country/Region
Now choose the new country region location (i.e. Austrailia).... followed by Agree and then Agree again on the popup screen.
Enter new payment details
Now enter your new payment details which currently needs to be VISA, VISA debit MasterCard or PayPal registered in Australia or the country of region you have selected (Pre-paid re-loadable travel cards also work). See below for example error when using UK paypal account..."PayPal and merchant accounts must be registered in the same country"
Enter new billing address
Now enter your new billing address details
You can now access the Australia Apple App store
That's it all done. To test go to the app store and search for something like a local bank that is only available in Australia such as NAB, ANZ etc
What if I want to update my UK / Home country apps
If the App is not available on the new app store you will simply have to follow the above steps again and change your country/region back to the original country, update the apps and then change it back... Not ideal and not really what i expect from apple but I'm guessing there must be a reason for it:-(
