Apple tests restoring card payments in India's App Store
Apple has begun a limited test in India to reintroduce credit and debit card payments for the App Store and iCloud. Card payments were suspended approximately five years ago due to Indian banking regulations.
Apple has initiated a small-scale test in India to reintroduce credit and debit card payment options for the App Store and iCloud, after a suspension of about five years. The company had stopped supporting card payments in the Indian market in 2021, citing local banking regulatory requirements. Subsequently, Indian users were limited to using UPI (Unified Payments Interface) and net banking for their transactions.
Recently, Apple invited select iPhone users in India to test the restored credit and debit card payment functionalities for App Store and iCloud subscription services. The company anticipates expanding this service to cover more Indian users within the coming months.
The key prerequisite for the resumption of these payment methods was Apple's compliance with the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) directives on card tokenisation. Sources indicate that following Apple's successful adherence to these regulations, the relevant card payment functions have been re-enabled.