Overview#
I have been using Google Photos to store my photos. When the free 15GB storage was full, I thought about subscribing to Google One for additional storage. As a user in the US region, I was discouraged by the prices. However, with my "digital immigrant" instinct, I wondered if I could subscribe in the Turkish region (at a lower price). Surprisingly, it worked smoothly.
Tools Needed#
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- An Apple account in the Turkish region
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- An iPhone (
I tried with an iPad but failed)
- An iPhone (
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- A VPN (as long as it can access Google Drive, it doesn't have to be a Turkish region node)
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- Turkish region App Store gift cards (recommended to purchase from a certain online marketplace)
Step 1#
Register a Turkish region account. No VPN or foreign phone number is required. When registering, select Turkey as the region. After registration, modify your personal information and choose "None" as the payment method. Then, log in to your Apple Store account and redeem the Turkish region gift card you purchased.
Step 2#
Download Google Drive from the Apple Store and log in to your Google account. Click on the "three horizontal lines" in the upper left corner, select "Purchase storage space," and then choose the monthly subscription plan for 2TB. Note that it is the 2TB monthly subscription plan. (I don't know if it's a bug, but the monthly plan seems cheaper than the annual plan???)
Note: Do not subscribe through Google One, as Google Drive is cheaper than Google One. Also, because my account is in the US region, I also unlocked Google VPN as an unexpected bonus.
Step 3#
Regularly purchase Turkish region gift cards for recharging, and choose the monthly subscription.
Notes#
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- To avoid account suspension, it is recommended to register a separate Google account and add the main account to its family group after subscribing.
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- If you have already subscribed through Google Play and want to upgrade the plan through the Turkish region Apple Store, you need to first delete your current Google One subscription by going to https://myaccount.google.com/deleteservices before subscribing through the Apple Store.
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- If your iOS device has a lower version and cannot download apps like Google Drive, it is recommended to lend your account to someone else. They can use their device with a higher iOS version to download the app from the store, and then you can install it on your device from the purchased app list using the same account.