Apple is bringing back card payments for Apple Account purchases in India after a four-year hiatus

Apple has begun restoring card payments for Apple Account purchases in India more than four years after withdrawing the option, the latest sign of how the iPhone maker is adapting its services to regulatory changes that have reshaped the country’s digital payments landscape.

The change, which is being implemented in phases, allows users in India to add eligible Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards to their Apple account to pay for subscriptions like iCloud+ and Apple Music, as well as App Store purchases.

In May 2022, Apple hanging Card payments in India following changes to the country’s recurring payments framework. Since then, users have relied on UPI, India’s real-time payments network, net banking, and Apple Account Balance for subscriptions and other digital Apple purchases.

The move illustrates a broader challenge facing Apple, as governments around the world impose country-specific rules on digital platforms, increasingly requiring the Cupertino company to design products, payments and other services according to local regulatory frameworks rather than offering a uniform global experience. Similar pressures have led Apple to review parts of its system App Store business in Europewhile regulatory changes in Japan and South Korea It has also reshaped the aspects of app distribution and payments.

Apple has made the necessary changes to support card payments under India’s regulatory framework, according to a person familiar with the matter. The phased rollout began recently and is expected to expand to all eligible users over time. Apple has it too It has been updated Its support documentation to reflect the change.

framework, foot By the Reserve Bank of India in 2021 and implemented in phases, it required merchants and payment service providers to provide stronger customer authentication for recurring card payments and adopt tokenized card credentials, while preventing merchants from storing customer card details. This shift has disrupted subscription billing for many local and international companies before they modernize their payment systems.

“It’s long overdue but it’s finally happening. This solves one of the friction points for subscription renewals,” said Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint Research.

Apple’s services business in India has continued to grow at a double-digit pace despite the lack of direct card payments, but restoring the option becomes increasingly important as the company’s installed base expands and more users expect multiple ways to pay, he told TechCrunch.

Restoring card payments is also likely to revive speculation about Apple Pay in India, following media reports that the company had done so. Explore service delivery To the country. Apple has not announced any plans to launch a mobile payment service in India.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.