Threads, Meta’s new rival to Twitter, launched yesterday in 100 countries on iOS and Android. The app did not release in the EU because of privacy concerns which that company has yet to address.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and now Threads, collects a wide variety of data from users, including health, financial information, browsing histories, location, purchases, search history and other sensitive information. The company has been prevented from launching ad services on Whatsapp that utilizes data from Facebook and Instagram.
If you live in the EU and you wanna access Threads right now, there is hope for you.
Do I need a VPN for Threads?
Well. Yes and no.
VPNs are good for many things, but some media outlets are spreading information that a VPN is necessary to use the Threads app. That does not seem to be the case, at least not for iOS users.
After briefly testing Threads, it seems like the app itself works in many countries, including EU countries, but access to download the app is restricted. In other words, the app is simply not available if your Apple or Android account is set to a EU country, as the app is not available in the App Store or Google Play for the EU market.
How to change countries on Apple’s App Store to download Threads
We have previously written about how you can change countries on your App Store account. If you follow the instructions in this article, and set the country to the US, you should be able to download and use Threads.
How to change countries on Google Play
Changing countries on your Android account for Google Play is a more tedious process. Here’s how you switch countries on your Google Play account.
1 – Sign up for our VPN plan. This is necessary for Google Play, as you need to have an IP address in a country like the US. We take care of this with our VPN program which is available as a monthly or yearly plan.)
2 – Have a US source of funds ready. For this we recommend StatesCard, which we have mentioned before as the service can help you get access to various streaming services.
Once you’re connected to the VPN and you have an active StatesCard with some funds, do the following.
3 – Open the Google Play Store app on your Android phone/tablet. Then tap your profile icon (which says your name) at the top and tap Settings.
4 – Now, tap General -> Account and device preferences from the menu.
Select the United States under Country and Profiles. It should be listed if you’re connected to our VPN.
5 – Select the available country and follow the instructions to add a payment method. Use the StatesCard mentioned in step 2 and add it to your account.
6 – It may take up to 48 hours for your account to be updated. If you wanna try to expedite the process, open Settings > Apps > All apps. Tap on Google Play Store, then tap Storage & cache, and select Clear cache.
