Note: These policies apply only to users located in the European Economic Area and the UK, and only to purchases made on or after March 28, 2018. For purchases made before March 28, 2018, or for users in all other countries, learn how to get a refund.
Google gives refunds for Google Play purchases that are faulty or do not match their description on Google Play, and may give refunds for some other Google Play purchases based on the refund policies described below. You can also contact the developer directly.
- If a purchase was accidentally made by a friend or family member using your account, request a refund on the Google Play website.
- If you find a Google Play purchase on your card or other payment method that you didn't make and that wasn't made by anyone you know, report unauthorized charges within 120 days of the transaction.
- If your refund request has been approved, see how long your refund will take.
Request a refund for recent purchases
Explore refund request options.
If the purchase doesn’t work properly or doesn’t match its description on Google Play, you can:
- Get support from the developer of the app under a warranty they might offer, or
- Request a refund on the Google Play website.
Check the status of a refund request
After you request a refund through the Google Play website or the “Request a refund” button above, you can check the status of your request.
Select an option:
Option 1: Get support from the developer of the appMost apps on the Play Store are made by third-party developers, not by Google. The developers should support their apps and make sure they work well for you.
You should contact the app developer if:
- You have a question about an app.
- You made an in-app purchase but it wasn’t delivered or isn’t working as you expected.
The developer may help with purchase issues, and may also process refunds. Find how to contact the app developer.
You can also request a refund from Google by following these instructions. You’ll usually get a decision within 1 business day but it can take up to 4 business days.
For hardware devices: To return or get a refund for devices you bought on the Google Store, go to the Google Store refunds page for more information.
Important:
- Currently, you can only request refunds for in-app purchases from the Play Store app.
- For non in-app purchases, please use the “Request a refund” button above or select an alternative refund request option on this page.
- Go to the Play Store app.
- At the top right, click your Profile picture.
- Click Payments & subscriptions > Budget & history.
- For the order you want to request a refund, click on View to see Transaction details.
- Click Report a problem.
- Select the reason for the refund from the dropdown.
- Click Submit.
Tip:
- If you have multiple refund requests, repeat these steps for each item you bought.
- If you don't find the order, you may have bought it on a different Google Account. Find out how to switch accounts.
- You’ll usually get a decision within 1 business day but it can take up to 4 business days.
- For hardware devices: To return or get a refund for devices you bought on the Google Store, go to the Google Store refunds page.
Note: Some information related to refund requests may be shared with developers.
Google Play refund policies
Refund policies are different depending on what you bought. Select a link for more information.
Note: If you don’t take reasonable steps to protect your account from unwanted purchases -- for example, you provided your account or payment details to someone else or didn’t protect your account with authentication -- we usually can’t issue a refund.
Apps & Games on Google PlayAs a courtesy to our users, Google offers a full refund on apps and games purchased on the Play Store if the purchase is returned within 2 hours. You can only return an app or game once for a courtesy refund. For other refund requests related to apps and games on Google Play, please read below.
Digital content. Under the law, you have an automatic statutory right of withdrawal from contracts for purchases of digital content, such as apps, games, in-app items, or other media like movies or music. The same applies when you purchase a subscription for digital content within an app. However, when you purchase or subscribe to digital content with Google Play, you agree that the digital content will be available to you immediately, and you acknowledge that, as a result, you waive your automatic statutory right of withdrawal. Therefore, you will not be eligible for a refund (or any alternative remedy) unless the digital content is defective, unavailable, or doesn’t perform as stated.
Digital services: Under the law, you have an automatic statutory right of withdrawal from contracts for the purchase of digital services for 14 days after you make the purchase. For example, if you buy file storage services on Google Assistant, you can cancel the purchase within 14 days for a full refund. You can request a refund here, or use this form to withdraw. After the first 14 days you will not be eligible for a refund (or any alternative remedy) unless the services are defective, unavailable, or don’t perform as stated. However, you can cancel your subscription, and the cancellation will be effective from the start of the next payment period. You will still have access to the subscription until the end of the period you have paid for.
Digital services: Under the law, you have an automatic statutory right of withdrawal from contracts for the purchase of digital services for 14 days after you make the purchase.
You can request a refund here, or use this form to withdraw.
After the first 14 days you won’t be eligible for a refund (or any alternative remedy) unless the services are defective, unavailable, or don’t perform as stated. If you don’t want to subscribe any more, you can cancel your subscription. You’ll still have access to the subscription until the end of the period you have paid for.
If your video won't play properly, try these tips to fix playback issues. If you would still like a refund or you are requesting the refund for another reason, see the info below.
You have up to 7 days to return Google Play Movies & TV content, as long as you haven’t started watching it. If your movie or TV show is defective, unavailable, or doesn’t perform as stated, you can request a refund anytime.
If you return the movie or TV show for a refund, it may be removed from your library and you may not be able to watch it.
If your book won't load try to fix book display problems. If you would still like a refund or you are requesting a refund for another reason, see the info below.
You can return most books bought on Google Play for a full refund within 7 days of purchase. If they are defective, unavailable, or don’t perform as stated, you can request a refund at any time.
If you return a book it may be removed from your library and you may not be able to read it.
Single issues. Single-issue purchases of magazine titles are not refundable unless they are defective, unavailable, or don’t perform as stated.
Subscriptions. Subscriptions can be canceled at any time. If the content is defective, unavailable, or doesn’t perform as stated, we can issue a refund. If you cancel within the first 7 days of a monthly (or longer) subscription, we may refund the cost of the month in which you canceled. Otherwise the cancellation will apply from the start of the next billing period but you will still have access to the subscription until the end of the period you have paid for.
We can only refund active subscriptions, and are unable to refund subscriptions that have already ended. If you return a publication it may be removed from your library and you may not be able to access it.
Purchase within action on the Google Assistant
Digital content. Under the law, you have an automatic statutory right of withdrawal from contracts for purchases of digital content, such as in-action items. The same applies when you purchase a subscription for digital content within an action. However, when you purchase or subscribe to digital content with Google Assistant, you agree that the digital content will be available to you immediately, and you acknowledge that, as a result, you waive your automatic statutory right of withdrawal. Therefore, you will not be eligible for a refund (or any alternative remedy) unless the digital content is defective, unavailable, or doesn’t perform as stated.
In the case of a subscription for digital content, if you don’t want to subscribe any more, you can cancel your subscription. You will still have access to the subscription until the end of the period you have paid for.
Digital services. Under the law, you have an automatic statutory right of withdrawal from contracts for the purchase of digital services for 14 days after you make the purchase. For example, if you buy file storage services on Google Assistant, you can cancel the purchase within 14 days for a full refund. You can request a refund here, or use this form to withdraw. After the first 14 days you will not be eligible for a refund (or any alternative remedy) unless the services are defective, unavailable, or don’t perform as stated. However, you can cancel your subscription, and the cancellation will be effective from the start of the next payment period. You will still have access to the subscription until the end of the period you have paid for.
Play gift cards and other prepaid Play balance are not refundable unless required by law. Promotional Play balance is not refundable.
This applies only to gifts of Google Play credit or Google Play Books purchased from Google. If your gift was purchased through a third-party retailer, contact the retailer for refund information.
If you want to return your gift, let the purchaser know so they can contact us. Please note:
- We can only issue a refund to the person who purchased the gift.
- Refunds can only be issued for gifts that have not been redeemed.
- The gift code is not redeemable once the gift is refunded.
- Refunds for Google Play credit gifts are only available for 3 months after the date of purchase.
How long refunds take
Refund timelinesRefunds from Google Play are returned to the payment method used to make the original purchase. Refunds take different amounts of time depending on how you paid.
If your refund is taking longer than expected, check your refund status on your Google Pay account. If the status is "Refunded," you will see a credit on your form of payment. If the status is "Cancelled," the order was never charged and so you will not see a credit on your form of payment.
|
Payment method |
Estimated Refund time |
|
Credit or debit card |
3-5 business days Processing time can be affected by the card issuer and sometimes takes up to 10 business days. If your credit card is no longer active, refunds will go to the bank that issued your card. Contact the bank to recover funds. |
| Direct carrier billing (prepaid / pay-as-you-go) |
1–30 business days Processing time can be affected by your carrier and sometimes takes longer. |
|
Direct carrier billing (postpaid / contract) |
1-2 monthly statements Processing time can be affected by your carrier, but refunds will usually appear within 2 monthly billing statements. If it takes longer, contact your carrier to check the status. |
|
Google Play balance (gift card or credit balance) |
1 business day Refunds appear in your Google Pay account. Occasionally this can take up to 3 business days. |
|
Google Pay balance |
1 business day Refunds appear in your Google Payaccount. Occasionally this can take up to 3 business days. |
|
Online Banking |
1-10 business days Processing time can be affected by your bank, but typically takes between 4 and 10 business days. |
|
PayPal |
3–5 business days This can sometimes take up to 10 business days. If you're returning the money to a payment method within PayPal (like a linked bank account), contact PayPal for more detailed information. |