Ever purchased an app and then wondered – “What was I thinking!” Purchasing an app is easy, with little friction, and credit card details are saved on the device, and purchases sometimes don’t even require authentication, so there’s a good chance people will regret their purchase later. If you’ve ever been in this situation, we’re here to help.
Follow the steps below to get a refund on any device – not just apps, you can also use it to get refunds on books, movies, music and more.
iTunes and Mac App Store
Apple has a website dedicated to refund-related issues. The site covers paid apps (on iOS and Mac), in-app purchases, books, movies, and music. You can use this site to request a refund for purchases made within the past 90 days. Here’s how.
- Open Apple’s Report a Problem website and log in with your Apple ID.
- You’ll see a list of apps sorted by purchase date. Search for the purchase using the search box and click the “Report a problem” button next to the app.
- Select the reason for seeking a refund from the drop-down menu and write the reason in the message box. This could include things like purchases you didn’t authorize, or items you didn’t download or install. Click Submit.
- Now you have to wait. If Apple deems your appeal reasonable, you will receive a refund within 48 hours. We will contact you via email on your Apple registered email ID to inform you whether you have received a refund or not. Members of our team have already received refunds this way.
Google Play
Android users have access to a great refund feature – Google reportedly allows you to get a refund within two hours of purchasing an app, although official documentation still lists the refund window as 15 minutes. During this time, you can get a refund by following these steps:
- Open the Google Play Store on your Android device > Click on the Play Store icon > My Apps.
- Select the app you want to refund and click Refund. The process is automatic and runs smoothly.
Given how easy it is to get a refund this way, you should definitely try any new apps as soon as you download them to see if they’re worth your money.
- If it has been more than two hours since you purchased the app, you will need to request a refund via your web browser. Check these steps.
- Open Google Play and log in.
- Now, hover over the app you want to refund > click on the three-dot icon (next to the app name) > Report an issue.
- Select “I want to request a refund” from the drop-down menu and write your reason in the message box below. Click Submit.
Now you have to wait for Google to decide whether your refund request should be accepted.
Windows Phone
Unlike iOS and Android, Windows Phone doesn’t seem to have a clear refund policy. We checked and all we found on the Windows Phone forums were repeated suggestions to chat with the Windows Phone support team and ask them for a refund.
- Click this link and then click Chat. Sign in to your Microsoft account.
- Now describe your problem and click Submit. Again, you have to wait for their response and rely on the company to determine whether your complaint is genuine.
blackberries
BlackBerry has an official consumer support page where you can request an app refund by filling out a small form. You don’t need to give a reason for requesting a refund on the form, just provide simple details such as the order number and your mobile PIN:
- Just open this page, fill out the form and click “Submit”.
- You’re still relying on BlackBerry to determine whether your case deserves a refund. We will contact you via email within 48 hours, where you can provide more details about the reason for your refund request, which will then be determined by BlackBerry.
However, people seem to have mixed results about this. Many people posted in online forums about being denied refunds. Most of the posts we found about successful refunds mentioned that the BlackBerry email was received within a few hours. We initiated our own app refund about 48 hours ago, but so far BlackBerry has not responded. If we receive a response, we will update this information.
If all else fails, there’s another option you can try, but there’s no guarantee it will work. You could try writing to the developer of the app you want a refund for – in many cases the developers themselves will prefer to refund the app if there’s a real problem, so it’s always a good idea to ask. It’s best to try the official method first, though, especially since there’s no way for the developers to “refund” the money to the card you paid for it, and anything they can do is just a workaround.
Since refunds largely depend on the judgment of the person reviewing the request, it’s best not to seek a refund without good cause. Some comments on the forum mentioned that requesting a refund often resulted in an email from Apple clearly stating that this was the reason for denying the request. If you accidentally purchase an app, or the app doesn’t work as advertised, you should certainly ask for a refund, but it’s best to be more cautious before paying than after – but don’t use this as a “try before you buy” approach.
We hope this helps you get a refund for an app you didn’t intend to purchase. Share your app refund experience in the comments and visit our “How To” section for more helpful articles.