With more than 1.4 million apps in the Google Play store, you can enjoy your Android smartphone or tablet to the fullest. But sometimes Google Play restricts the downloading of applications for certain countries and devices.
What should you do if your favorite game or app is not available in your country? Luckily, Android is an open operating system, which means we can do whatever we want.
Next, I will explain how you can bypass the Google Play restriction, thereby downloading and installing an application that is not available in your country.
"Not available in your country" error
There are several options for solving the problem, but we will only talk about one of them. This method is the most optimal in most cases and guarantees a positive result much more than alternatives.
Step 1: Install VPN
First you will have to find and install a VPN for Android, the choice of which today can be a challenge due to the wide variety. We will pay attention to only one free and fairly reliable software, which can be downloaded from the link below.
- Download the application from the store page using the "Install" button. After this you need to open it.
On the start page, select the software version: paid or free. In the second case, you will need to go through the tariff payment procedure.
After completing the first launch and thereby preparing the application for work, change the country in accordance with the regional characteristics of the unavailable software. Click on the flag in the search bar and select another country.
For example, to access the Spotify app, the best option is the US.
From the list of installed applications, select Google Play.
Next, the connection should be confirmed. At this point the procedure can be considered complete.
Please note that the free version of Hola is somewhat limited in terms of features and terms of service. Additionally, you can read another guide on our website on setting up a VPN using the example of another application.
Step 2: Editing your account
In addition to installing and configuring the VPN client, you also need to make a number of changes to your Google account settings. To continue, one or more payment methods via Google Pay must be attached to your account, otherwise the information cannot be corrected.
- Open the Google Play main menu and go to the Payment Methods page.
Here at the bottom of the screen, click on the “Other payment settings” link.
After being automatically redirected to the Google Pay service website, click on the icon in the upper left corner and select “Settings”.
- Change the "Country/Region" and "Name and Address" settings to comply with Google's policies. To do this, you will need to create a new payment profile. In our case, the VPN is configured for the USA, and therefore the appropriate data will be entered: Country – United States (US);
- The first line of the address is 9 East 91st St;
- Second line of address - skip;
- City - New York;
- State - New York;
- Postal code – 10128.
You can complete this stage of correcting the error in question and move on to the next step. However, in addition, do not forget to carefully double-check all the data to avoid repeating the instructions.
Step 3: Clear Google Play Cache
The next step is to delete information about the early operation of the Google Play application through a special settings section on the Android device. At the same time, you should not access the market without using a VPN to eliminate the possibility of the same problems occurring.
- Open the system section “Settings” and in the “Device” block select “Applications”.
On the All tab, scroll down and find the Google Play Store service.
Use the Stop button and confirm to stop the application.
Click the "Erase data" and "Clear cache" buttons in any convenient order. If necessary, cleaning must also be confirmed.
This stage is the last, since after the steps taken, all applications from the store will be available to you.
Step 4: Download the application
In this section we will consider only a few aspects that allow us to check the performance of the considered method. You should start by checking the currency. To do this, use the search or link to open the page with the paid application and check the currency in which the product is provided to you.
If dollars or another currency is displayed instead of rubles in accordance with the country specified in the profile and VPN settings, everything is working correctly. Otherwise, you will have to double-check and repeat the steps, as we mentioned earlier.
Now the applications will be displayed in the search and available for purchase or download.
As an alternative to the option considered, you can try to find and download an application that is limited by regional features on the Play Market in the form of an APK file. An excellent source of software in this form is the Internet forum w3bsit3-dns.com, but this does not guarantee the functionality of the program.
Using VPN browser extensions
This is probably the simplest and most accessible option for everyone. Plugins of this type successfully change the user’s real IP address. They make the server think that the user is in a completely different country. And the content turns out to be allowed.
The Hola VPN plugin has proven itself well. It's free, easy to set up, and provides fairly high speeds when redirecting traffic. Let's look at an example of using the extension in Yandex Browser. For Google Chrome, the instructions will be similar. You can also check out our list of the best VPNs.
1 So, launch the browser and follow the link:
2 Next, click on the Install button
3 We confirm our intentions using the appropriate paragraph.
4 After installation, click on the extension icon in the top panel and simply select the country.
The plugin will start working immediately. However, please note that data transfer speeds may be significantly reduced during redirection. But all blocked content will be available. But this is exactly what we wanted.
How to download an unavailable application from Google Play?
Users of Android smartphones are faced with a problem when the Google Play store does not allow them to install the required application. In such cases, the app is marked as “not available in your country” or “incompatible with your device.” Depending on the country's internal regulations, a specific app may be blocked from Google Play.
On Google Play, developers can limit the availability of their applications to certain devices and minimum versions of Android. However, there are ways to get around the above restrictions.
Change your country in your store settings to download an app that is "not available in your country." If the user is in Russia, then in the settings you need to set the country where the application is actually available. The easiest way is to go to the “Accounts” section settings and register a new Google account, for example, in the USA or Canada. Or you can change the country in an existing account. Follow a few steps:
- First you need to change your billing address. In your Google Play account, go to the “Settings” – “Payment Methods” – “Change” menu. You must provide the billing address of the country in which the application will be available.
- Then change your home address. In the “Addresses” menu, be sure to set a new default address.
- Then in your phone’s “Settings” you need to select the “Applications” section and find “Play Store”, and then clear the cache.
- We go to Google Play, accept the agreement for the new country and download the necessary application.
Once the application is installed on your smartphone, you can switch the settings back to your country. Downloading an app is controlled by Google, but the actual availability of content can be controlled by the developer. For example, you can download the Spotify music app by changing the country, but still not be able to access the content because the developer determines the location using the IP address. In this case, you need to install a VPN on your smartphone to convince Spotify that the user is in another country.
Market Helper will help you eliminate the “app incompatibility with your device” limitation. The application allows you to change the device identification in the Google Play store. For example, instead of a Xiaomi smartphone, the store will determine that the user has a Galaxy 8 smartphone.
Attention! The application is not available on Google Play; you can download it from the developer's website. Market Helper requires root rights, which give the application full access to all files and functions of the Android operating system. You can check root rights on your smartphone using the Root Checker application.
There is an Apk Downloader service that allows you to download an application as an APK file directly from Google Play without root rights. Paste the link to the application on Google Play into the field and click the “Generate Download Link” button. After processing the link, the service will display a link to download the APK file.
Users often download distributions of the necessary applications from the Internet resource w3bsit3-dns.com. For example, Spotify can also be found on the forum. It is worth noting that an application from an unofficial source may be malicious. We recommend carefully checking sources and reading reviews. Enjoy!
We use APK
If there is no desire to change the region or the first method did not work, you can install the desired application manually:
- Download the .apk application to your smartphone.
- Launch its installation using the task manager.
To ensure the application works stably, change the IP using NordVPN. Why this service:
- Over 5,000 servers around the world provide stable connection speeds, which allows you to freely listen to music on Spotify, watch TV series on Netflix, or spend time playing online games.
- Hides and encrypts traffic from third parties, which is useful when making purchases on the Internet.
- CyberSec technology blocks dangerous websites that can harm your device. Automatically eliminates pop-up ads.
- Military standards Ikev2/IPsec and OpenVPN are used as the encryption protocol.
- The first 7 days of using the service are free, then you need to subscribe for 1 year, 6 or 1 month. Premium allows you to create up to 6 VPN connections simultaneously.
Among the tangible disadvantages of installing an application using APK:
- The installation file must be downloaded from third-party resources, which can lead to the smartphone becoming infected with a virus.
- After a new version of the application is released, you will have to update it manually. When it comes to online games, there is a chance of losing progress and purchased items.
- Some products are equipped with anti-piracy protection, so they cannot be used without first purchasing a license.
How to bypass "Not available in your country" on Google Play?
Google Play has a huge range of all kinds of content: games, applications, movies, cartoons, books, audiobooks, etc. Moreover, quite a large part of all this content is distributed completely free of charge and anyone can get access to it... At least, it may seem so until you find some application or, for example, a game that politely tells you on its page will indicate "Not available in your country".
Surely, you and I have all encountered this message, more than once or twice. That's right, the nth part of the content on Google Play is subject to regional restrictions, which were set either by its author or by the platform itself. Some of us, when we see the message “the application is not available in your country” on Google Play, immediately give up, forget about what we want, or try to find a replacement for it.
However, what should you do if, for example, it is very important for you to install on your Android device, for example, some game whose release you have been waiting for several months? In this article, we will tell you how you can overcome this regional barrier and access the content you want on Google Play. Moreover, it must be pointed out that all the methods we are considering will be absolutely legal, so you have nothing to worry about.
Using a Browser with the Redirect Option
The most popular web browser of this type is Opera. You can download it from the official website: Installation is very simple. But the main thing is that it already has a built-in VPN. Therefore, there is no need to install anything additional.
By the way, Opera also has a very advanced encryption system. It allows you to ensure almost complete anonymity. After all, encrypted traffic cannot be read.
Now we will talk about how to work with this browser:
1 So, first download the browser and install it. Then we launch it and click on the button with three stripes.
2 In the side menu, look for the VPN section and click Allow in settings
3 Next, simply move the corresponding switch to the active position.
Now you can visit a site with blocked content and try to play it
If everything is done correctly, it should be available. However, if you do not want to change your usual browser, then this option is not for you.
By the way, the notorious Tor (created on the basis of Firefox) also belongs to browsers of this type. Its anonymity is, of course, impressive, but it is not recommended to use it. It may be too difficult for beginners. As a result, you won’t watch your favorite series.
Web proxy
If you are not interested in installing additional extensions, then you can turn your attention to online proxy services, which are also anonymizers, which will allow you to hide your IP address, thus allowing you to access prohibited content. It will also appeal to “conspiracy buffs” because it has a secure connection function that guarantees additional encryption when working with website pages, preventing unauthorized persons from viewing the sent data.
They also have their drawback - the Internet speed slows down very much.
Using online services
These include so-called proxies. This option does not involve installing programs on the computer. This is exactly why users like it. However, sites visited through such resources may not display correctly.
Also, very few of these resources are free. Almost all of them require a subscription. However, you can use them for free. True, with some restrictions.
Now we will consider the Hidemy.name service as the most adequate among anonymizers:
1 First, enter the link in the address bar of the browser and press Enter to go.
2 Next, select the desired server from the list and try to copy the IP address and port somewhere.
3 Now launch the browser settings using the button with three stripes.
4 In the left column go to the System section
5 Click on Proxy server settings
6 In the Proxy settings section, manually move the Use proxy server switch
7 Enter the remembered address and port in the appropriate fields. Click the Save button
That's all
Now all that remains is to restart the connection. After it restarts, you will already be using the VPN. Just don't be surprised if suddenly the speed is very low. This is quite normal for a free proxy.
7. Media Hint plugin for resources with media content
Consider the following plugin, which focuses primarily on multimedia content. The Media Hint extension was developed to access US media resources from outside America. It is not suitable for other purposes.
It can be connected to Chrome and Mazila web browsers, it works fully automatically, without requiring additional settings. According to the developers, this plugin does not affect download speed in any way, but is capable of unblocking videos if lostfilm’s content is not available in the Russian Federation.
Stealthy and friGate plugins for Google Chrome and Firefox web browsers
For fans of Chrome and Mazila browsers, I can recommend the Stealthy plugin, with which traffic will go through foreign anonymous proxy servers, which will allow you to access, for example, joyreactor, the content of which is prohibited in the Russian Federation. Enabling the plugin is as easy as shelling pears – you just need to click on the corresponding button: red – disabled, green – enabled.
Stealth also has a free online service, although it is less reliable than the plugin.
As for friGate, in addition to Chrome and Firefox, it can also be used in Opera. It works only with a list of those sites that were previously added to its extension, this allows you to increase performance, since the servers are not reloaded with requests. Therefore, if you are interested in viewing the prohibited content of any site, just add its domain to the friGate list.
Virtual private network
I’ll start with the most radical method of gaining access to any global network project - setting up a VPN. Basically, the Virtual private network encrypts all data transmitted through it and passes it through a chain of servers, thereby providing a fairly good level of anonymity. Why only good and not ideal - the fact is that virtual private network providers are forced to cooperate with law enforcement agencies. If you carefully read the user agreement, you will see this clause.
! True, a full-fledged VPN is a paid service, but to view prohibited content, simplified services that provide clients with minimal functionality are sufficient. For example, VPNBook offers free use of its Virtual private network, with support for OpenVPN technology or the PPTP protocol. If you are under surveillance by special services or a professional hacker is interested in you, then this is not enough, since both technologies are not secure enough. But for the average user it is ideal.
You do not need to register or create an account to use the VPNBook service. In addition, when using only the PPTP protocol, you don’t even have to bother installing additional software. You only need to enter in the network connection settings of your operating system the parameters that are listed on the VPNBook website, having first created a new connection.
On the other hand, some providers block the PPTP VPN protocol, and therefore you will have to play a little with downloading and installing OpenVPN. Since it works via standard TCP or UDP protocols, this limitation can be circumvented.
Results
Now you can view all the content you need. And a message from the server that it is blocked in your region will not stop you. We recommend using browser extensions. It’s easier with them and many of them are free.
By the way, using the methods described above, you can even bypass the blocking of sites by Roskomnadzor, since it is performed at the program level. Unfortunately, all the described options will not help if the message sorry video deleted error 906 appears.
VIDEO: Content is not available in your region - how to bypass it on Android and iPhone?
6. Hola plugin for websites with media content
Used to work in Explorer, Chrome and Mazila browsers, and also works with Android OS. With it, you will not only be able to access media services whose content is not available in the Russian Federation - lostfilm and others, but also speed up page loading. This is possible thanks to the way Hola works: when watching a video, information is cached for all users who have the plugin installed, and then it is transferred to the nearest device on the network. So, the more people use Hola in one area, the faster the page loads.
