14 DAY TRIAL // Like many other companies out there, Google announced its very own sanctions for Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, with the search giant revealing in March that the local Google Play billing system was suspended.
Now Google is announcing a new restriction, as this time it’s blocking paid app downloads and updates for users in Russia.
In other words, downloading or updating a paid app from the Google Play Store is no longer possible, with free apps apparently still enjoying both benefits.
“Due to payment system disruption, Google Play has paused its billing system for users in Russia as of March 10, 2022. This means users cannot purchase apps and games, make subscription payments or conduct any in-app purchases of digital goods using Google Play in Russia. Free apps will remain available on the Play store. As part of our compliance efforts, Google Play is blocking the downloading of paid apps and updates to paid apps in Russia starting May 5, 2022,” Google explains on a support page.
Free apps still available
The company goes on to explain that subscriptions will continue to run until their expiry date, but when they reach the end, they’re gone forever. This means renewing a subscription isn’t possible for someone living in Russia.
“Subscriptions will continue until the end of the then-current billing period, but will not be able to be renewed and will be canceled. We will honor existing developer subscription billing grace periods and any free trials will continue to work until a payment is attempted,” the company further notes.
Of course, there’s absolutely no date as to when these restrictions could be lifted, as it all depends on the war in Ukraine.
It remains to be seen if Google ends up announcing more restrictions for its services in Russia, but for now, the free apps and games continue to be available from the Google Play Store.