Apple has suspended all payments in Russia: what is known about the new restrictions
3 April 00:40
Apple has officially confirmed that, effective April 1, 2026, payment processing will no longer be available for purchases on the App Store and other Apple Media Services in Russia. This means that users in Russia will no longer be able to make new purchases, make in-app purchases, or renew subscriptions using standard payment methods. This was reported by 9to5mac, according to [Komersant]
The Apple document explicitly states that new purchases, in-app purchases, and subscription renewals in Russia are no longer available if there are no funds in the Apple Account balance. In other words, the company has not completely “shut everything down” for every account: if a user previously topped up their Apple ID balance, they can spend the remaining balance as long as there is money in the account.
Apple also notes that users can redeem existing App Store codes.
Which Apple services are affected
According to Apple, the changes affect virtually all of the company’s major digital services in Russia. The list provided by support includes Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts subscriptions, Apple One, App Store purchases and subscriptions, Apple TV, iTunes Store, iCloud, as well as ringtone and tone purchases.
iCloud is a particularly sensitive issue, as it is a service directly related to data storage. Apple specifically notes that user data will remain accessible after the subscription ends; in other words, the company does not claim that information will be lost immediately upon stopping payment renewals.
What exactly has changed for users in Russia
In effect, Apple has shut down the usual payment mechanism for Russian users in its digital services. The publication 9to5Mac, which was the first to draw attention to the new update in Apple’s support, reports that the company has “disabled all payments” in Russia, and now Russian residents can no longer pay for purchases in the App Store or renew subscriptions, except in cases where they already have funds in their account balance.
In practice, this means several things. First, it is no longer possible to make a new digital purchase using a credit card or other standard payment method. Second, automatic subscription renewals are at risk if there are no pre-loaded funds on the Apple ID balance. Third, users who still have gift codes or a balance remaining will be able to continue using the services for a certain period until these funds are exhausted.
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Why Apple took this step
Apple’s official document explains the changes themselves but does not publicly cite a single specific reason. At the same time, 9to5Mac links the new policy to the fact that Russian carriers were required to disable the ability to top up Apple IDs via mobile accounts, and Apple went even further by effectively halting all payment processing for digital services in Russia.
An additional backdrop to this decision is the sanctions context. A few days earlier, Reuters reported that British authorities had fined an Apple subsidiary for violating sanctions against Russia related to two payments made in 2022. Apple stated at the time that it had reported the incident itself and was strengthening its compliance procedures. This is not direct proof that the fine itself was the reason for the current decision, but this context makes the theory that the company is exercising extra caution a logical one.
What this means for Apple’s Russian market
For Russian iPhone, iPad, and Mac users, the new policy means a further narrowing of access to Apple’s digital ecosystem. Whereas previously, despite numerous restrictions, there were still some ways to maintain subscriptions or pay for content, these options have now been drastically reduced. In effect, Apple has officially shifted users to a mode of using only their existing balance.
This also impacts developers and services that operated through the App Store in Russia, as new purchases and subscription renewals no longer occur through the usual channels. Given that Apple has been gradually phasing out various payment options in Russia since 2022, this latest move appears to be yet another tightening of existing restrictions. Reuters previously reported that Russian authorities had complained about restrictions on Apple users’ access to banking and payment services.
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