Changing geolocation on a smartphone is a task that may be required for various reasons: from the correct operation of weather widgets to access to regional content in application stores. Device owners Samsung often encounter the fact that the system automatically determines the location incorrectly, especially after moving or traveling. This may lead to the fact that news, exchange rates and service offers will not be relevant for your current location.
The process of changing the city on the platform Android in the shell One UI does not always come down to one action. There are several levels of customization: from system location settings to specific application and account settings Samsung Account. Incorrect configuration of one of these elements can cause the phone to continue to show old data, ignoring your actual location.
In this article we will look in detail at all the ways to change geolocation. You will learn how to force a new city in the system settings, how to reset the geolocation services cache, and what nuances exist when changing the region for a store Galaxy Store. We will also consider cases when automatic detection works correctly, but the user requires manual adjustments for individual services.
System location and GPS settings
The first and most important step is to check the operation of the module GPS and system permissions. If your phone does not see satellites or access to geodata is blocked, changing the city manually in some system applications will not work - they will require automatic detection. First, you need to make sure that the geolocation service is active.
Go to the menu Settings → Location. Here you will see the main switch. Make sure it is in the Enabledposition. If the function is already active, but the city does not change, try switching the detection mode. In older versions of Android, these were the “By all sources”, “By network coordinates” and “By GPS satellites” modes. In modern versions One UI algorithms work automatically, but you can improve the accuracy.
- 📍 Click on "Improve accuracy" and activate scanning of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networks.
- 🔋 In the "Permissions" section, check whether system applications (Weather, Clock, News) have access to geodata.
- 🔄 Try turning off and back on the "Flight" mode for 10 seconds to reboot the radio modules.
Use the "Access Points" widget in the notification shade for quick turning on GPS without going into the deep settings menu. This saves time when changing locations frequently.
Sometimes the system gets stuck on old coordinates. In this case, resetting geolocation settings helps. Go to Settings → Applications, find "Google Play Services" or "Geolocation" in the list (the name may differ depending on the firmware version). Clear this app's cache. Do not delete the data completely if you are not sure of your actions, as this may reset the history of your movements and other bindings.
Changing the region in the phone settings
Many users confuse the concepts of “city” and “device region”. Changing the region in the phone settings affects the format of the date, time, currency and the list of available functions. This is a global setting that tells the system what country you are in. To change the region, go to Settings → General settings → Region.
Here you will see a list of countries. Selecting a specific country will automatically pull up the appropriate time zone settings and language packs if they were not previously installed. Please note that changing the region may affect the operation of some pre-installed applications Samsung, such as Samsung Pay or Samsung Health, which are strictly tied to the legislation of a particular country.
| Parameter | Impact of change | Where it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Time zone | Automatic time and alarms | Settings → General → Date and time |
| Currency | Display prices in the store and browser | Settings → Region |
| System language | Menu and keyboard interface | Settings → General → Language |
| Content region | Access to news and widgets | Settings → Lock screen / Home |
⚠️ Attention: Changing the device region does not guarantee an automatic change of the country in your Google Play or Samsung Account. These services have independent settings that require separate intervention.
After selecting a new region, the system may prompt you to reboot. Agree to this action so that all configuration files are updated correctly. If you have moved to another country for a long time, it also makes sense to check your keyboard settings Samsung Keyboard, since the dictionaries and layouts of the previous region may be preserved there.
Setting up the weather and news widget
The most common reason for searching for instructions on “how to change the city” is incorrect data in the weather widget on the main screen. The widget Samsung Weather default uses your current GPS location, but allows you to add and record multiple cities manually. This is convenient for those who monitor the weather in their home city while on a business trip.
To change the city in the widget, click on it with your finger. The full screen weather app will open. At the top of the screen you will see the name of the current city and a menu icon (three dots or a gear). Select the "Manage cities" or "Add city" option. In the search bar, enter the name of the desired locality.
- 🌤 Click on the found city to add it to the list of watched ones.
- 🗑 Delete the old city by clicking on the trash can icon or holding your finger on the name.
- 📌 Drag the desired city to the first place in the list so that it was displayed on the main screen by default.
If the widget continues to show the old city even after adding a new one, check the display settings. Long tap on the widget on your desktop to bring up the menu and select “Edit”. Here you can explicitly indicate which city from your list should be the main one. Sometimes removing the widget from the screen and adding it again from the widget menu helps.
The weather widget can only display data for one active city. Make sure that the desired city is first in the list of priorities for the Weather application.
Changing the country in your Samsung and Galaxy Store account
A separate and more complex issue is changing the region for digital services. If you've moved to another country, you may need to access local apps in Galaxy Store. Simply changing your phone settings is not enough here - you need to update your profile in your account Samsung Account.
Go to Settings → Accounts and Backup → Account Management → Samsung Account. In the profile section, find the "Country/Region" item. The system will require confirmation that you are indeed in the new country. This often requires having a local SIM card or linking a local payment method.
Path to region settings:
Settings → Accounts → Samsung Account → Personal information → Country/Region
It is important to understand the restrictions. Changing the region in a Samsung account is possible no more than once a month (sometimes once a year, depending on the terms of the offer). When you change your country, your Samsung Points balance may be reset, and subscriptions (such as Samsung TV Plus or cloud storage) may become unavailable or require the card to be relinked.
⚠️ Attention: Before changing your region in the Galaxy Store, be sure to spend all your accumulated Samsung Rewards points, as when you change your country, they will be lost without the possibility of recovery.
What what to do if the change region button is inactive?
If the change country option is grayed out, this means that you recently changed the region or you have active subscriptions linked to the old country. Cancel all auto-renewals and wait until the end of the billing period.
Problems with identifying the city via Wi-Fi and networks
Sometimes the phone stubbornly shows the old city, even if you are in another place. This happens because Android determines location not only from satellites, but also from databases of Wi-Fi networks and cell towers. If you've moved to a new office or apartment that you've never been to before, your phone may "think" it's still in the old location based on the MAC addresses of nearby routers.
To solve this problem, you need to update your geolocation database. Go to location settings and find the "Google Settings" item (or similar in the system menu). Select Geolocation → Google Location Accuracy. Try disabling and re-enabling this feature. This will force the phone to re-request data from Google servers about current towers and Wi-Fi points.
It is also worth checking if you have the power saving mode turned on. In Energy saving mode, the phone can disable frequent GPS polling, relying only on approximate tower location, which is less accurate. Turn off power saving during setup to get the most accurate coordinates.
- 📡 Make sure that scanning is enabled in the Wi-Fi settings even when Wi-Fi is turned off.
- 🏙 In large cities with dense buildings, GPS may work worse - use the mode "According to all sources."
- 🚫 Disable VPN services, as they replace your IP address and can confuse the determination of the city.
Reset network settings and calibrate the compass
If none of the software methods help and the phone shows an absurd location (for example, you are in Moscow, but the phone shows city in another area), sensors may need to be calibrated or network settings reset. This is an extreme measure, but it often solves problems with “glitches” of the communication module.
To calibrate the compass, take the phone in your hand and start drawing an infinity sign (figure eight) in the air in different planes. Repeat this action 3-4 times. This will help the magnetometer re-orient itself to the cardinal directions and improve navigation accuracy. After that, open Google Maps and check whether the blue direction beam matches the real road.
☑️ Diagnosing problems with GPS
If the problem persists, reset the network settings. Go to Settings → General settings → Reset → Reset network settings. Please note: This action will delete saved Wi-Fi passwords and Bluetooth device pairs, but will not affect your personal photos or contacts. After the reboot, the phone will re-register in the operator’s network and update the data about base stations.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why does the weather still show after moving to another city? old?
Most likely, a specific city is manually assigned to the weather widget, and the “My location” mode is not selected. Go to the Weather app, remove the old city from the list and make sure geolocation is turned on for this app. Also check if the system is blocking access to GPS in the background.
Is it possible to change the region in the Galaxy Store without losing data?
App data and photos will not be deleted, but you may lose access to previously purchased applications that are not available in the new region. Samsung Reward Points will also be void. It is recommended to do this only if you are moving permanently.
How to make the city change automatically when traveling?
Make sure that the "Automatic time zone change" and "Use wireless networks to search" options are enabled in the location settings. Do not rigidly fix the city in the weather widgets, leave the “Current location” option active.
Does changing the city affect the operation of Samsung Pay?
Yes, it does directly. Samsung Pay only works in countries where the service is officially launched. If you change your phone's region to a country where Samsung Pay is not supported, the feature will stop working even if maps are added.
The phone shows the wrong city, although GPS is turned on. What to do?
Try clearing the cache of the Google Maps and Google Play Services applications. If this doesn't help, check to see if Power Saver mode is turned on, which limits GPS performance. As a last resort, reset the network settings.