One thing that irritates me to the core is when I see some new application – be it a web based or for smartphones – and I find that it’s available only for US and UK citizens. Take Google Music for example!! Why does it have to be country-specific? Likewise, there are a lot of nice Android apps too that are only available in country-specific Android markets and you can’t get your hands on them.. not officially at least.
We have already seen how you can access country-specific web applications like Google Music. Today we will see how to access or force install the country-specific locked apps on your Android.
Note: You must have a rooted Android device for the trick to work. If you have not rooted your device, you can have a look at Android Soul. I am sure you will find rooting guide for your device there and all the guides are very comprehensive.
Again, we are not responsible for any damage to your phone due to technical errors while rooting. You are on your own!!
Now, back to force installing apps unavailable in your country on your Android.
Step 1: Download and install Market Unlocker on your rooted Android Device. The application is free and can be installed on devices running Android version 2.2 and above.
Step 2: Once the application is installed open it and click on the option Enable Unlocker to change your market version (you will be asked to grant the administrative rights for the first time) but before doing so, have a look at the bottom of the application. The information displays the current version of the market on your device and if everything goes fine it will show Verizon (USA) by default.
Voila, from this day forward you can download and install country specific applications on your Android devices. Yep, as simple as that!
That’s not all, while you are on the home screen of the application, swipe right on the screen to navigate to the market tab. Here, you can see a list of all the countries (like USA, Canada, Japan, etc.) and service providers you can port your market to. Just touch the vendor you want to change your market signature to. For ex, if you want to download an app available only to users in Japan, click on the Japan service provider from the list and let the changes take effect.
The application also allows you to configure the country and service provider manually. Moreover you can use a proxy server to browse and download applications from the market. You can also use Market Unlocker for Amazon App Store and create an account to download a paid app for free every day.
There is a pro version of the application as well which removes all advertisements and enables automatic fetch/configuration of proxy comparing.
My Verdict
I think Market Unlocker is one of the best ways to download country-specific application on any Android device. The application just requires root access to your device and after that you can change your market country signature with a blink of an eye. If you know of any similar Android tricks, we are all ears!
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Written By Ashish and published on Wednesday, February 29th, 2012. Ashish Mundhra is a tech blogger from TechPanache and is an enthusiast in the field of technology. A software engineer, he enjoys learning about technological advancements and exploring the gamut of new developments in the field. Once versed with the knowledge, he loves sharing his experiences and experiments with the world.
