If you didn’t know it yet, you could actually refund your Google Play Store purchases if you weren’t really happy about the app or game that you bought. What many people don’t know (and Google hasn’t been screaming about) is that even after the 48 hour deadline, you can still refund it if you send an email and Google almost always immediately issues the return of your money. But now Google will not be taking on the cost anymore and instead will pass it on to the developers.
Google has sent out an email to all developers that have products on the Play Store, informing them of the change in policy. Basically, it states that all refunds will now be taken on by the developer and will be subtracted from their payouts. Previously, only those that have been refunded within 48 hours were deducted from the developers and Google absorbed the ones that were made after the 48 hour deadline. But now, all refunds have to be taken on by the developers.
Another new policy is that the Voided Purchases API is now available for developers. This will help them see those users who have asked for refunds but still “claw back” the IAP items in an app or game when they need it. The automated refund process that gives you 2 hours after purchase to automatically get a refund is still in place, but a Google spokesperson said there will be tweaks.
The changes will not be applied right away but developers will get to see the changes over the next few months. Users should also be aware of this although it doesn’t really affect them, so there might not be an official public announcement of this.
VIA: 9 to 5 Google
