How to explore web-based Google Play in another country?
Solution 1:
Looking for a solution to this exact problem brought me here, but unfortunately nobody gave the right answer. Here it is: Add the parameter gl=(countrycode).
For example, to see the list of top free business applications in your country, use this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/category/BUSINESS/collection/topselling_free
Adding gl=ru gives you the list for Russia:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/category/BUSINESS/collection/topselling_free?gl=ru
Hope this helps.
Solution 2:
Here are list of nice clickable links for lazy people like me:
- https://play.google.com/?gl=al Albania
- https://play.google.com/?gl=dz Algeria
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ao Angola
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ag Antigua and Barbuda
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ar Argentina
- https://play.google.com/?gl=am Armenia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=aw Aruba
- https://play.google.com/?gl=au Australia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=at Austria
- https://play.google.com/?gl=az Azerbaijan
- https://play.google.com/?gl=bs Bahamas
- https://play.google.com/?gl=bh Bahrain
- https://play.google.com/?gl=bd Bangladesh
- https://play.google.com/?gl=by Belarus
- https://play.google.com/?gl=be Belgium
- https://play.google.com/?gl=bz Belize
- https://play.google.com/?gl=bj Benin
- https://play.google.com/?gl=bo Bolivia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ba Bosnia and Herzegovina
- https://play.google.com/?gl=bw Botswana
- https://play.google.com/?gl=br Brazil
- https://play.google.com/?gl=bg Bulgaria
- https://play.google.com/?gl=bf Burkina
- https://play.google.com/?gl=kh Cambodia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=cm Cameroon
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ca Canada
- https://play.google.com/?gl=cv Cape Verde
- https://play.google.com/?gl=cl Chile
- https://play.google.com/?gl=co Colombia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=cr Costa Rica
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ci Cote d' Ivore
- https://play.google.com/?gl=hr Croatia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=cy Cyprus
- https://play.google.com/?gl=cz Czech Republic
- https://play.google.com/?gl=dk Denmark
- https://play.google.com/?gl=do Dominican Republic
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ec Ecuador
- https://play.google.com/?gl=eg Egypt
- https://play.google.com/?gl=sv El Salvador
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ee Estonia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=fj Fiji
- https://play.google.com/?gl=fi Finland
- https://play.google.com/?gl=fr France
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ga Gabon
- https://play.google.com/?gl=de Germany
- https://play.google.com/?gl=gh Ghana
- https://play.google.com/?gl=gr Greece
- https://play.google.com/?gl=gt Guatemala
- https://play.google.com/?gl=gw Guinea-Bissau
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ht Haiti
- https://play.google.com/?gl=hn Honduras
- https://play.google.com/?gl=hk Hong Kong
- https://play.google.com/?gl=hu Hungary
- https://play.google.com/?gl=is Iceland
- https://play.google.com/?gl=in India
- https://play.google.com/?gl=id Indonesia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ie Ireland
- https://play.google.com/?gl=il Israel
- https://play.google.com/?gl=it Italy
- https://play.google.com/?gl=jm Jamaica
- https://play.google.com/?gl=jp Japan
- https://play.google.com/?gl=jo Jordan
- https://play.google.com/?gl=kz Kazakhstan
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ke Kenya
- https://play.google.com/?gl=kw Kuwait
- https://play.google.com/?gl=kg Kyrgyzstan
- https://play.google.com/?gl=la Laos
- https://play.google.com/?gl=lv Latvia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=lb Lebanon
- https://play.google.com/?gl=li Liechtenstein
- https://play.google.com/?gl=lt Lithuania
- https://play.google.com/?gl=lu Luxembourg
- https://play.google.com/?gl=mk Macedonia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=my Malaysia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ml Mali
- https://play.google.com/?gl=mt Malta
- https://play.google.com/?gl=mu Mauritius
- https://play.google.com/?gl=mx Mexico
- https://play.google.com/?gl=md Moldova
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ma Morocco
- https://play.google.com/?gl=mz Mozambique
- https://play.google.com/?gl=na Namibia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=np Nepal
- https://play.google.com/?gl=nl Netherlands
- https://play.google.com/?gl=an Netherlands Antilles
- https://play.google.com/?gl=nz New Zealand
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ni Nicaragua
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ne Niger
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ng Nigeria
- https://play.google.com/?gl=no Norway
- https://play.google.com/?gl=om Oman
- https://play.google.com/?gl=pk Pakistan
- https://play.google.com/?gl=pa Panama
- https://play.google.com/?gl=pg Papua New Guinea
- https://play.google.com/?gl=py Paraguay
- https://play.google.com/?gl=pe Peru
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ph Philippines
- https://play.google.com/?gl=pl Poland
- https://play.google.com/?gl=pt Portugal
- https://play.google.com/?gl=qa Qatar
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ro Romania
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ru Russia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=rw Rwanda
- https://play.google.com/?gl=sa Saudi Arabia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=sn Senegal
- https://play.google.com/?gl=rs Serbia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=sg Singapore
- https://play.google.com/?gl=sk Slovakia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=si Slovenia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=za South Africa
- https://play.google.com/?gl=kr South Korea
- https://play.google.com/?gl=es Spain
- https://play.google.com/?gl=lk Sri Lanka
- https://play.google.com/?gl=se Sweden
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ch Switzerland
- https://play.google.com/?gl=tw Taiwan
- https://play.google.com/?gl=tj Tajikistan
- https://play.google.com/?gl=tz Tanzania
- https://play.google.com/?gl=th Thailand
- https://play.google.com/?gl=tg Togo
- https://play.google.com/?gl=tt Trinidad and Tobago
- https://play.google.com/?gl=tn Tunisia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=tr Turkey
- https://play.google.com/?gl=tm Turkmenistan
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ug Uganda
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ua Ukraine
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ae United Arab Emirates
- https://play.google.com/?gl=gb United Kingdom
- https://play.google.com/?gl=us United States (including Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau and US Virgin Islands)
- https://play.google.com/?gl=uy Uruguay
- https://play.google.com/?gl=uz Uzbekistan
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ve Venezuela
- https://play.google.com/?gl=vn Vietnam
- https://play.google.com/?gl=ye Yemen
- https://play.google.com/?gl=zm Zambia
- https://play.google.com/?gl=zw Zimbabwe
If you spot any incorrect ones, feel free to edit of course.
You can also change language using the hl parameter, like this:
- https://play.google.com/?hl=ar
Solution 3:
You need to manipulate the Google Play URL. For example, for French use
https://play.google.com/store?gl=fr&tab=w8
for Spanish use
https://play.google.com/store?gl=sp&tab=w8
You should be able to swap out the country code (fr/sp/etc) using the codes discussed in the documentation on Locale.
If you would like to just change the language, but see the featured apps or rankings in your current country, use hl instead of gl
Solution 4:
You practically answered your own question already: To force Google to display a page specific to a certain country you have to use a host that can send requests via IP ranges or providers that Google recognizes as being from that country. Proxies provide exactly that functionality.
Yes, you are right, developers or others in charge of testing Google services will likely not use proxies, though for a company that big providing a few test hosts in every country they operate in doesn't seem to be that big of a hassle.
If I had to implement a multinational service that provides content based on the location of the client I'd not try to obscure (as in security by obscurity) testing functionality by hiding it behind undocumented parameters. The cleaner and more obvious implementation of such a feature would be account-based functionalities.
- You are an ordinary user: I'll deliver content based on your location.
- You are signed in and the "Testers at Google" group: You see a setting to sort of "spoof" your location.
Actually, all systems I develop do feature extended debugging and testing functionalities, even on live hosts, but those features are never enabled or accessible to users at all. After all, that's what user groups are for.