Apple Restores Card Payments For App Store, iCloud In India

Apple has reportedly begun accepting credit and debit card payments for App Store purchases and subscription services such as iCloud in India. The move comes nearly four years after the company stopped accepting card payments due to regulatory changes by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

According to a report by Moneycontrol, the feature is currently undergoing testing with a limited group of users and is expected to be rolled out more broadly in the coming months. The return of card payments marks Apple’s compliance with the RBI’s card tokenization framework. This framework requires merchants to replace stored card details with unique tokens issued by authorized card networks and mandates local storage of tokenized data within India.

Since Apple discontinued direct card payments, Indian users have relied on methods such as Unified Payments Interface (UPI), net banking, and Apple ID balance to pay for apps, games, and subscriptions. The company had previously informed users in 2022 that recurring payments using Indian-issued cards might be declined due to the new regulatory requirements, leading to the complete removal of card options.

This development is also seen as a precursor to Apple’s planned launch of Apple Pay in India. Reports indicate that Apple has been collaborating with local banks and global card networks for a potential rollout of its payment service in the country, which is expected to occur in phases, likely starting with contactless card payments.