Google suspends Google Play purchases/subscriptions/recharges in Russia
Google has currently suspended any paid content sales in its Play Store in Russia, including but not limited to app purchases, subscriptions, and game recharge services. The main reason for this is that after Russia was kicked out of the SWIFT system, Google has been unable to charge fees normally. For example, Russian users cannot transfer or receive money through financial systems such as Visa and Mastercard using single-currency or multi-currency cards issued by local banks. Mobile payment services such as Apple Pay and Google Pay have long been suspended, which affects a large number of Russian users due to the unavailability of the settlement system.
Google said in a statement on the Android developer’s website that it had to suspend the Play Store’s billing system for Russian users due to an outage in the payment system. This means that users will not be able to use the Google Play Store to purchase any apps and games in Russia, including but not limited to subscriptions or game recharges. Google said any digital purchases will be suspended, but this will not affect all free apps and games, and users will still be able to download and install as normal.
In a statement titled International Sanctions, Google said the company is committed to complying with all applicable sanctions restrictions and legal requirements related to international trade compliance. The company will continue to monitor the latest guidance, and users in affected regions will still be able to download the free app through Google Play but not purchase it.
What if the user has already subscribed to the relevant service? Google said that users who have already subscribed to the service can still use it until the subscription expires. When the subscription expires, regardless of whether the user has set up automatic renewal, the relevant subscription will be automatically terminated and no automatic renewal and automatic deduction will be attempted.
In addition, Google’s YouTube video site has also begun to disable value-added services in Russia, and users can no longer purchase paid value-added services for any channel.
