The tech giant continues sanctioning efforts against Russia due to the war in Ukraine. Google announced that Russian Android developers won’t be able to get paid from Google Play Store. The company already paused its billing system for Russian users on March 10 due to payment system disruption. Since then, users couldn’t purchase apps, make subscription payments or conduct any in-app purchases. Free apps are still available on the Play Store.
Paid apps
Starting May 5, Google Play is also blocking the downloading of paid apps and updates to paid apps in Russia. An error message will be shown if a user in Russia attempts to buy an app, start an in-app purchase, or subscribe through Google Play’s billing system. It won’t affect the free apps. Users will also be able to access apps that have already been downloaded or purchased.
Google also stated that subscriptions will continue until the end of the then-current billing period, but they won’t be able to be renewed and will be canceled. However, developers can extend the grace period for existing subscribers to access the content after their billing period ends. Paid app developers can also offer their apps for free to avoid the situation.