Key facts
- Apple has restored card payment options for Apple Account purchases in India.
- The feature was previously suspended in May 2022 due to changes in India's recurring payments framework.
- Users can now add eligible Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards to their Apple Account.
- This allows payment for subscriptions and App Store purchases.
- The change is being rolled out in phases.
Apple has begun restoring card payments for Apple Account purchases in India, more than four years after withdrawing the option. This move signifies the company's adaptation to regulatory changes that have reshaped India's digital payments landscape.
The phased rollout allows users to add eligible Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards to their Apple Account for subscriptions like iCloud+ and Apple Music, as well as App Store purchases. Previously, users relied on UPI, net banking, and Apple Account balance since card payments were suspended in May 2022 following updates to the country’s recurring payments framework.
This change highlights the broader challenge Apple faces globally, needing to tailor services to country-specific rules rather than offering a uniform experience. Similar adjustments have been made in Europe, Japan, and South Korea due to regulatory pressures.
Apple has implemented the necessary backend changes to support card payments under India’s regulatory framework, which mandates stronger customer authentication and tokenized card credentials for recurring payments, while prohibiting merchants from storing card details. Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint Research, noted that this is a long-overdue solution for subscription renewals, crucial as Apple's services business in India continues to grow.