iPhone users - are you able to use the iTunes store from your home country?

[#basedcowboyshirt]

I bought an iPhone here in Korea about three months ago, and have been using my Canadian iTunes store account with no problems. However, last week I got a notice that my account had been locked and no further purchases could be made, nor could I receive updates for purchases I've made from the Canadian iTunes store.

I was told by iTunes support that I needed to make an account in Korea and that I could no longer use the Canadian store, despite my billing address and payment info all being based in Canada.

Has anyone else encountered this problem? It seems ludicrous that Apple wouldn't allow me to update apps that I've already purchased, or that they'd prevent me from using the Apple store in the same country as all my payment information.

If anyone has any workarounds to this, I'd be happy to hear them.

[siamagoo]

I've been using iTunes with my US account for a year now, no problems. And my iPhone runs both Korean and US apps.

Can you still buy Canadian apps in the iTunes store from your computer?

[teacher_del]

Sorry, no ideas. I've been using the US store for my iPod Touch for nearly a year from Korea.

[#basedcowboyshirt]

@ Siamagoo:


Nope, I can't purchase or update anything on my phone or my computer. As I said, I'm completely locked out from all purchases unless I change my store region (which the iTunes rep told me would result in no longer being able to update anything that I'd previously purchased from the store).

Thanks for the replies, though. So frustrating. I've never had anything but terrible experiences with Apple.

[Freeto]

I've bought apps from the Korean iTunes and another country and have no problems getting updates. I just have to change countries and type in my password to get updates for each account. I also use gift cards to DL from my home country as my CC from home expired but also no problems getting updates there.

[s0nflwr]

That's so strange! I have an iphone here in korea and it works just fine with my US account.It should work just fine because the account works with both korean and english apps.. that's strange.. you should try and go to one of the phone shops and see if this is a common problem.. sorry to hear about that

[#basedcowboyshirt]

Yeah. None of my friends who use the US iTunes store have had this problem. I'm really not sure what it is.

I doubt it's something that a phone store here can fix, though, since it's a problem with Apple, not with my connection or hardware.

The email I was sent essentially told me that I need to set the country to that which I currently live in (Korea), using a Korean credit card and address as my billing information.

Ridiculous. Apple. So bad.

[bebouchard]

I had a similar problem a few months ago. I've used my American iTunes account here in Korea for several years and never had any trouble. Then suddenly a few months ago it just stopped working. I found out it is technically is againt their TOS to use the account from another country, but I think they don't really enforce it (except when they do). I complained to customer service several times, and then quite suddenly, my account started working again. I think my complaint must have accidentally reached a human who understood what a raw deal it is to suddenly cut me off from receiving updates to apps I had previously purchased from them.

I don't know what to say in your case though. My best advice is to keep trying. Explain that your situation here is temporary, etc. (even if it isn't). If they won't budge, threaten a class-action lawsuit because you and many others are being treated unfairly due to their capricous and unevenly applied policy.

If that doesn't work, tell them to stick it in their icloud. ^^

[#basedcowboyshirt]

I had a similar problem a few months ago. I've used my American iTunes account here in Korea for several years and never had any trouble. Then suddenly a few months ago it just stopped working. I found out it is technically is againt their TOS to use the account from another country, but I think they don't really enforce it (except when they do). I complained to customer service several times, and then quite suddenly, my account started working again. I think my complaint must have accidentally reached a human who understood what a raw deal it is to suddenly cut me off from receiving updates to apps I had previously purchased from them.

I don't know what to say in your case though. My best advice is to keep trying. Explain that your situation here is temporary, etc. (even if it isn't). If they won't budge, threaten a class-action lawsuit because you and many others are being treated unfairly due to their capricous and unevenly applied policy.

If that doesn't work, tell them to stick it in their icloud. ^^

Thanks - this is exactly what I was wanting to hear. I sent a reply (that I hope reaches a human being) saying that my permanent residents is in Canada, all my billing addresses are in Canada, etc, and that I'm only over here on a temporary base for business. Hopefully Apple's 'glorious legendary customer service' won't completely cut me off my from my apps that I actually spent money on.

Anyways, thanks again.I think I'm in the unlucky minority that got picked on for being outside their main country.

[Kimchijigae]

I have a Canadian iTunes account and everything works fine. All purchases made now in Korea are fine. Download speeds are terrible though...

[taeyang]

ugggh i would hate this if it happened to me. sorry about that .

could it be your credit card? has it, perhaps, expired or something?

[waythem7]

That is a VERY strange situation..  My account works perfectly for the UK store until one day after around 6 months...it said my credit card was not valid... and I had to to email them.. I emailed them the problem.. they said sorry, and would fix it... I went back into itunes and RE INPUTTED my account details again.. and it worked... 

About download speeds, I have seen that it goes a LOT faster in the morning time here.. at night it's TERRIBLE...

[karlmalone]

I've been using iTunes with my US account for a year now, no problems. And my iPhone runs both Korean and US apps.

[#basedcowboyshirt]

After emails and a phonecall to the Canadian office, they said that it's against there terms of use to download anything from the Canadian store if I'm not on Canadian soil. Also, I can't update apps that I already bought. It's completely and permanently locked until I reenter Canada.

[Davox]

Legendary customer service indeed.  My wife also had an issue with Canadian itunes accounts: she switched out her ipod touch for an iphone and now itunes + the app store has rejected her Canadian credit card.  It was fine with the card when she had the touch.  The only response she could get out of apple was varying degrees of "Not our problem, go bug your bank, not our problem."  Except the same card worked when she had the ipod and continues to work on every other (non-Apple-related) website/store.  To this day she has still not been able to input her card, and still cannot buy anything.
I guess what I'm saying is if you have to contact itunes support, don't expect any actual support.

Also, I suppose she should consider herself lucky that she can still update her old apps from Korea.  We'll see how long that lasts.

[boominxboom1]

I've had this problem a couple times. A year or so ago, I contacted iTunes support and it took about a week for them to settle it.
It happened to me again a few weeks ago. This time it took a bit longer the iTunes adviser to figure out what was wrong. She eventually asked if I was outside of the US so I responded that I was. She was nice about it, but pointed out that in the US Terms of Sales, it states that you are not supposed to access iTunes from outside the country. Apparently, iTunes can recognize you are out of the country with the ip address used to access the account. I was bummed.

But then the next day, I got an email from another customer support guy that my account maintenance issue got resolved. It was quite a nice surprise. Maybe she forwarded my issue to another support person? I don't know. But I can now access it again.

[#basedcowboyshirt]

This is heartening. Maybe I'll just keep pestering them.

[bobrocket]

I can use my NZ account, I got the iPhone in Korea and never had a problem, I don't use a credit card though, I just top up using the gift cards.
I also have a Korean account but my Korean isn't that flash,