You CAN buy apps on the standard market in 'non paid app countries'...

I've seen many threads on this problem including one posted in today (http://androidforums.com/android-applications/85840-getting-applications-outside-authorized-countries.html) but thought this was big enough news - at least for me - to deserve a new thread.

I think I've just discovered a paid app loophole... want to buy apps but live in a non paid app country? Here's what I just did:

• Go online and create a google checkout account
• Take out your sim card
• Connect to the market USING WIFI
• Find paid app
• Buy paid app
• Download and install paid app
• Put sim card back in
• Enjoy paid app

No idea what it means for updates (the app i just bought does however still show in my downloads) or if all apps are there (how could i know?), but if you want paid apps you CAN have them, straight from the market with no root or 3rd party apps needed. Quick, simple, easy.

Gotta say I'm pretty chuffed!

 

Duh, in my excitement I forgot to mention (although it may (or may not) have been obvious) that you connect to the market via wifi when the sim is removed...

 

The short answer is yes.

Of course, there is a longer more complicated answer, which seems to be summarised as "not really or only under certain conditions". I'll try and explain as briefly (yeah, right!) as I can:

The facts:

I live in the Czech Rep where there is no paid app market. I own a HTC Hero, bought here (without sim/contract) and a work issued Motorola Milestone (sourced from outside Czech Rep - not exactly sure where but I'm going to try and find out on Monday) and a work issued Czech T-Mobile sim. I have not previously been able to access any paid apps. I believe my works public access wifi is routed via Germany (i.e has German IP addresses).

What I did to buy a paid app from the market:

My Hero needs to go for repair (again!) to remove dust from under the screen. To ensure I had all the apps I need on my Milestone while the Hero will be away I booted up the MS without the sim and accessed the market via the public work wifi. It was then I noticed that I could see paid apps and after setting up a google checkout account, happily bought one.

I then took the sim out of the Hero and had the same results.

I mentioned this to my Desire owning mate/colleague who replicated this phenomenon by turning on airplane mode and then activating wifi.

When I got home from work:

I checked the MS again on my home (definitely Czech) wifi, still without sim and could still see paid apps. Didn't check the Hero.

Now, today:

Neither the Hero nor the MS without sim can see paid apps...

So... I would assume that the work German routed wifi was the key, but that doesn't explain why the MS saw paid apps last night at home and not now, nor explain or align with Goofy's experiences from Singapore, above. So I'm a bit stumped.

Any clever techies out there that can offer an explanation?

Whatever the reasons, I'm happy that I can at least buy apps while I'm at work!