Overview
- Apple’s support guidance says that, as of April 1, payment processing in Russia is disabled across the App Store and all Apple media services.
- The freeze covers Apple Music, TV, Arcade, Fitness+, iCloud+, Apple One, the iTunes and App Stores, and even ringtone purchases.
- Users can only make purchases or renew subscriptions if they already hold Apple Account funds, and they cannot add new funds after carriers were told to block mobile billing top-ups.
- Previously bought apps and media remain available, and Apple says iCloud+ data stays accessible after subscriptions end, though renewals stop once balances or billing cycles run out.
- The change follows Russian regulators fining Apple’s Ireland unit over payments to Russian developers, and officials say the carrier order also targets VPN purchases as part of a wider crackdown on internet circumvention; Apple stopped selling iPhones in Russia in 2022.