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I have a friend who shall be moving to Switzerland during the early part of 2013. He wishes to know is their a Swiss Google Play Store, or do Swiss residents use the German Play Store? If this is the case what happens (if anything) to his UK account and is the transition relatively straightforward. If this is not the case and a Swiss Google Play Store does not exist, neither do Swiss residents use the German Play Store - is their a way around it.

Would he still be able to access the UK Google Play Store ?

  • In order to do so doesn't he have to still be a resident (can he use someone elses address ?)
  • In order to access it, is all that is required is to maintain a British Bank Account ?
  • Is it simply a case of you can access any Play Store from where ever you are residing in the world ?

What happens therefore if he wishes to order a Nexus device from the UK store in terms of postage costs and import duty ?

If he is able to register at the German Play Store would this be a more viable option as surely postage and import duty would be less than that from the UK ?

He has heard that even though Google has a HQ in Zurich, most Swiss are heavily iOS orientated.(He is reluctant to follow that path if it can be helped)

Perhaps a Swiss person can give some clarification or advice regarding the above matter for him (or what do the people who work for Google in Zurich do & what did the employees who came from countries such as Germany, USA & UK do with their accounts ?)

Thankyou for your understanding regarding this matter

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IMHO that doesn't matter that much -- except for apps with regional restrictions, which would be unavailable while in another country). Nothing strange will happen to his account by moving to a different country. – Izzy Dec 7 '12 at 19:27
What does IMHO stand for ? – Simon Dec 8 '12 at 9:59
@Simon In My Honest Opinion – Raghd Hamzeh Dec 8 '12 at 12:48
Thx very much for clarifying :) @rnh16 – Simon Dec 8 '12 at 13:19

1 Answer

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  1. He will still have access to all his purchases.
  2. He will NOT be able to access the UK Google Play Store, unless he uses alternative methods (VPN/Tunneling/Market enablers..).
  3. Assuming he managed to access the UK Play Store (2), he will be able to purchase as normal provided that he has access to his UK credit/debit card.
  4. In order to purchase a Nexus device, he has to use his UK credit/debit card, and select a UK address for shipping, and then have someone forward him the package.
  5. Provided that the devices he purchased was activated in the UK, he should still the Books and Movies apps on his Android phones/tablets. Some devices however will automatically freeze these apps on boot if the device was not activated in a supported country.

NOTE: Devices, Books, Magazines, Music and Movies and TV are NOT available in Switzerland without using methods that bypass the restrictions.

NOTE: The answer above is based on my experience with dealing with Google purchases, market restrictions, and international shipping. I have never dealt with the Swiss Google market specifically, but the experience should be the same.

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Thanks v. much for that informative answer. Can I ask though would it be therefore advisable to register with the German Play Store if possible(as i'm assuming a Swiss one as yet does not exist) – Simon Dec 8 '12 at 13:07
A Swiss Play Store does exist, it just does not have access to the same content as the UK, US, or German Play Stores. The German Play Store will have access to the devices excluding the Chromebooks, and will not have access to Magazines. And he will have to be in Germany (or use bypassing methods) and have access to a German credit/debit card for it to work. – Raghd Hamzeh Dec 8 '12 at 13:13
Thx for that, I guess the Swiss Play Store must be in its infancy then, and will only get better with time. Unless Swiss people are heavIly preferential to iOS. – Simon Dec 8 '12 at 13:16
You are welcome :) The Play Store is in its infancy in many regions, but that is because of licensing issues, and the fact that Google usually focuses on select markets then expands slowly to cover other regions. – Raghd Hamzeh Dec 8 '12 at 13:20
Right, but isnt it strange that Google has a HQ in Zurich, surely their employees have access to all the Play Store Goodies, without restrictions imposed by geographical location - if i'm making sense – Simon Dec 8 '12 at 13:21
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