This error message is different for everyone because it depends on which country your Apple ID is associated with and with App store you’re currently in trying to download the app. For example, if your Apple ID is associated with a country in the US, and you’re in Canada trying to download and install apps, the error message would say, “your account is not valid for use in the united states store. You must switch to US Store before purchasing.”

The Reason Your Account Is Not Valid For Use In The United States Store

The reason your account is not valid for use in another store is that you’re in a foreign country to the country your Apple ID is associated with. If you have an Apple ID with a billing address different to the country that you’re in now, you’ll need to switch to the right store to purchase the app. Another reason your account isn’t valid in another store is that you have recently changed your iCloud region to a different billing country. However, the App Store on some devices gets out of sync. Usually, people change their iCould region to a different billing country when they want to access apps that are restricted to a specific country or regions so if you’ve found yourself doing, you’ll need to make sure that you change your region back to get rid of this error. One more reason why your app store account is not in this US store is that you could be using someone’s Apple ID that lives in another country to set up your iPhone and other Apple devices. If you’re using a family member’s Apple ID for example and you’re living in a different country to them, then you need to make sure that you get your own Apple ID with a billing address attached to them that’s where you reside.

How to Fix Your Account Is Not Valid For Use in a Store

If your app store account is not in the store and it isn’t valid for the country you’re in, then you need to change your Apple ID’s country so that you’re in the right store. if you’re in another country, then this isn’t possible and you’ll need to make sure that your billing address and card are attached to the country that you’re in.

1. How to Change your Apple ID Country

If you’re willing to change your Apple ID country, this will allow you to purchase the app in the country you’re currently in. However, if you’re not in another country and you don’t want to change you’re not willing to change your Apple IDs country, you can follow the instructions to get rid of the error. On iPhone:

  1. Open Settings > click your name > iTunes & Apple Store.
  2. Tap your Apple ID > View Apple ID. You might have to sign in.
  3. Tap Country/Region.
  4. Tap Change Country or Region.
  5. Select your new country or region. You’ll have to then review the Terms & Conditions. Tap Agree twice to confirm.
  6. Select a payment method.
  7. Enter your new payment information and billing address. You’ll need to make sure that the billing address is valid unless this won’t work.
  8. Tap Next. You should be able to download the app because your Apple ID is now associated with the country you’re trying to purchase the app from. On Mac or PC:
  9. Open iTunes.
  10. From the top menu, choose Account > View My Account.
  11. Sign in with your Apple ID.
  12. Click View Account.
  13. Click Change Country or Region.
  14. Select your new country or region.
  15. Agree to the Terms & Conditions.
  16. Enter your new payment information and billing address. You’ll need to make sure that your billing address is valid unless it won’t work.
  17. Click Continue.

2. Sign Out then Into the App Store

If you’ve changed your Apple ID country or you’re not in a foreign country to your Apple ID and you’re still getting this error message, there a few things you can do that might fix the problem. The first thing you can do is to sign out of the App Store. Since the problem is coming from the Apple store and you’re not in another country, there may be a bug causing this error to show up. To sign out of the App Store:

  1. Open the App Store app.
  2. Click the Today tab.
  3. Tap the profile picture.
  4. Choose Sign Out.
  5. Enter your Apple ID and password.
  6. Tap Sign In.
  7. Click your Name and Apple ID. Check if your Country/Region setting is congruent to where you are now.

3. Hard Reset your iPhone

If you’re still getting this error when trying to purchase apps in the App Store, then hard restarting it might help. If your iPhone has a software problem that’s causing the error, hard resetting can get rid of the problem. If you have an iPhone 7 or above:

  1. Hold the sleep/wake key and the volume down key.
  2. Wait for the Apple logo to appear If you have an iPhone X and above or 8:
  3. Quickly press the release the volume up button.
  4. Quickly press the release the volume down button.
  5. Press and hold the Power button until you see the Apple logo.

4. Go Back to the US

Some apps aren’t available in certain countries due to laws or regulations, so unless you have a friend or family member in that specific country, you’ll have to wait until you’re in that country, or wait until the app is available in your area.

5. Tell A Friend in the US to Log in Using Apple ID

Another possible fix is to have your friends log in to your App Store with your Apple ID, then download the App or item in iTunes or App Store that You Want. They’ll be able to download it, and by using iCloud, it’ll be available on your device as well.

6. Check to Ensure iCloud Services isn’t Disabled

It’s entirely possible your iCloud services are currently disabled. This could have been done from an accident, a software bug, or you turned it off for some reason and forgot to turn it back on. Either way, here’s how to make sure your iCloud services are enabled.

  1. From your home screen, go to settings.
  2. At the very top of the settings page, you should see your name you assigned for your Apple ID. Tap this and you’ll be brought to another screen.
  3. Now, tap ‘iCloud’. It should be right under subscriptions, towards the middle of the screen.
  4. You’ll now be shown all the apps connected to iCloud. If the switch next to the app is green, it means iCloud is enabled for this app, and if it’s grey, it’s turned off. And that’s it! You don’t need to have all of the apps iCloud access enabled – as long as you’re able to enable one, your iCloud should be working correctly.

7. Make Sure Nobody Else is Logged into your iCloud Account

If the app you’re trying to download, for example, says ‘This app is only available in the United States’ while you’re in the United States, it’s possible your iCloud was somehow compromised and someone from another country is logged in, causing the discrepancy. To make sure nobody else is logged into your account, follow these steps:

  1. Go to ‘Settings’ from your Home Screen.
  2. At the very top of the settings page, you should see the name you assigned for your Apple ID. Tap this and you’ll be brought to another screen.
  3. Under ‘Family Sharing’, you should see a list of all devices connected to your iCloud account. You can go through all these devices and make sure they belong to you. For example, if you see a Windows PC linked to your iCloud account but don’t have a Windows PC, you can remove this account by pressing the name of the device – at the bottom, you’ll see ‘Remove from Account’. After pressing this, the device will be instantly logged out of your account, and as long as you quickly change your password before they could log back in, your iCloud account will now be secure. Tapping the name of a certain connected device will also tell you basic information about the device, like the Windows version, or what phone is connected to your iCloud. Even if you know it’s one of your devices, if you don’t use it anymore, it may still be a good idea to remove the device, just in case. After going through this process and carefully going over every connected device, you’ll now know what devices are connected to your iCloud account. Even if this didn’t fix the issue you’re having, it’s still good to know nobody is logged into your iCloud account without your knowledge.

8. Reset Your Password

It’s a good idea to regularly change your password every once and awhile – not just for iCloud, but everything. Resetting your iCloud password is a simple process, and it’s an especially good idea if you share this same password with other accounts. Here’s how to change your iCloud password!

  1. Open ‘Settings’ from your devices home screen.
  2. At the very top of the settings page, you should see the name you assigned for your Apple ID. Tap this and you’ll be brought to another settings screen.
  3. Tap ‘Password & Security’.
  4. At the very top, you should see ‘Change Password’. Tap this, and you’ll be asked to put in the passcode to your device.
  5. You can then type your new password, and you’ll have to type it once again under the first field to verify your password. And that’s it – your password should now be changed. Make sure you do whatever you have to do to remember your password. We recommend writing it down on a piece of paper, and putting it somewhere private where you’ll remember it. It’s also good to store this password in two separate places, so if you forget one place you put it, you’re likely to find or remember the other place.

9. Log Out & Sign Back into Your Apple ID

Re-logging into your Apple ID, or iCloud, could fix the issue, especially if the error you get says ‘Account not Valid’. Before signing out, make sure you know your password, and have it written down in front of you, along with the email. If you forget your email or password, it could cause a huge, unnecessary pain, and you may not be able to get back into your account. When you sign out, any data stored in iCloud will be removed from your device, but will remain in iCloud. Before you sign out, you’ll be asked if you want to keep a copy of any of the information on your device. You’ll also automatically be signed out of the App Store, as well as iMessage and FaceTime. You’ll have to sign back in to use the App Store, but you can use iMessage and FaceTime without your Apple ID as long as it’s linked to your phone number. To sign out of your Apple ID account:

  1. Open ‘Settings’ from your devices home screen.
  2. At the very top of the settings page, you should see the name you assigned for your Apple ID. Tap this and you’ll be brought to another settings screen.
  3. Scroll to the very bottom of this page, and you’ll see ‘Sign Out’ in red text. Tap this to sign out.
  4. You’ll be asked to enter your Apple ID password. After entering this, tap ‘Turn Off’.
  5. You’ll then be asked if you’d like a copy of the iCloud information on your device.
  6. Tap ‘Sign Out’.
  7. Tap ‘Sign Out’ again to confirm that you want to sign out of iCloud. You’ll now be logged out of your Apple ID, as well as iCloud. To sign back in;
  8. Open the ‘Settings’ app.
  9. At the top of the screen, you’ll see a blank profile picture icon, with ‘Sign in to your (device name)’. Tap this, and you’ll be asked to enter your Apple ID and password.
  10. After entering your account information to log in, you may be texted a six-digit verification code, and sent to your trusted device or phone number. After entering this code, you’ll be signed back into your iCloud and Apple ID. Just like that, you’ve signed out and back into your Apple ID account, serving as a soft restart of your account, which could get rid of any account errors relating to your iCloud or Apple ID.

10. Update Device

It’s possible the discrepancy is being caused by your device version being out of date. To update your iOS device;

  1. Open ‘Settings’, then go to ‘General’.
  2. On the General page, locate and tap ‘Software Update’.
  3. You may see two software update options available; if so, just choose the one you want to install. We recommend downloading the latest version, as long as it’s stable and users aren’t having issues.
  4. Tap ‘Install Now’. If you see Download and install instead, tap it to download the update, then enter your passcode and tap ‘Install Now’. As long as you have enough storage available as long as a stable internet connection, your iOS version should update without any issues.

11. Reset All Settings

  1. Go to the Settings app from your home page.
  2. Tap ‘General’, then ‘Transfer or Reset iPhone (or other iOS device). This should be located towards the bottom of the screen.
  3. Press ‘Reset’, and then ‘Reset All Settings’. After confirming this option, all your settings – including netowrk settings, keyboard dictionary, location settings, privacy settings, and Apple pay cards, will all be removed or reset to their factory defaults. You cannot revert this reset, so make sure you want to do this before going through with it.

12. Factory Reset

Viewed as a last resort, a factory reset could fix this issue, as well as any other issues you’re having with your device. When you do a factory reset, all the information on your device will be completely wiped, and whatever you don’t have already saved to your iCloud will be gone. Because of this, we recommend using some other Apple device to try and download the app through your Apple ID. If the problem persists on other devices, it’s some type of issue with your Apple ID and doing a factory reset will probably not fix the issue. Otherwise, here’s how to factory reset your device.

  1. Go to the Settings app from your home page.
  2. Tap ‘General’, then ‘Transfer or Reset iPhone (or other iOS device). This should be located towards the bottom of the screen.
  3. Press ‘Erase All Content and Settings’. You’ll be asked to enter your passcode, and when you do, your device will turn off. When it turns back on, everything that was on the device will be wiped – including apps, photos / videos, contacts, conversations – everything. However, whatever is connected to your iCloud account will be available again on your device after logging into your Apple ID.

13. Contact Apple Support

If all else fails, you can try contacting Apple Support, or bring your device into a local Apple Retail Store Genius Bar. Apple Support Phone Number – 1-800-APLCARE /  800-767-2775

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