Apple tightens restrictions: App Store payments in russia effectively halted

Apple has introduced new restrictions for users in russia, effectively blocking the ability to make purchases and renew subscriptions across its digital services. The changes took effect on April 1 and impact nearly the entire ecosystem.

Purchases and subscriptions no longer work

According to updated information, users can no longer buy apps, pay for in-app features, or renew subscriptions.

The only exception is funds already available in the account balance. These can still be used, but adding new funds is no longer possible.

Key services affected

The restrictions cover nearly all paid Apple features, including:

• entertainment and subscription services;
• in-app purchases;
• cloud services;
• digital content and media.

In practice, this means a near-complete shutdown of the standard paid content model within the platform.

Reason: pressure from authorities

According to reports, the move is linked to demands from russian authorities, who are pushing Apple to restore a number of local apps previously removed due to sanctions.

So far, the company has shown no intention of complying, which has led to stricter operating conditions in the market.

Restrictions have been in place for years

Since the introduction of sanctions, Apple has been gradually scaling back its presence in russia. Dozens of local services — from banking apps to transport platforms — have been removed from the App Store.

The company has also declined to comply with several requirements, including installing an alternative app store and changing default search settings.

Alternative payments also restricted

Apple is also limiting workaround payment methods and has not complied with requests to remove VPN services. At the same time, such apps are estimated to account for a significant share of user spending, further complicating the situation. As a result, users in Russia were effectively cut off from full access to Apple’s paid services.