You Can Still Get A Refund From Google Play After The 15-Minute Window

You Can Still Get A Refund From Google Play After The 15-Minute Window

Avid Google Play users will be aware of the long-standing 15-minute rule for refunds. Namely, if you return an app within 15 minutes, you get a refund, no questions asked. As Android Police discovered, however, you may still be able to get an unconditional refund after that window.

The secret is tucked away on your Google Play orders page. Here you’ll see a list of all the apps you’ve ever purchased. Click the three-dot menu button next to an app and you can select “Report a problem”. Your only option for apps is to request a refund. Previously, this process would result in opening a dispute and checking the veracity of a claim, but as Android Police reports, many refunds are being processed automatically. In some cases the developer doesn’t even see it happen:

There are actually three types of refunds on Android now. There is the 15 minute window we’re all familiar with, of course. The refunds from the order page are actually split into two different versions according to Google — those made less than 48 hours after the sale, and those made more than 48 hours after. In both cases, Google may choose to automate the refund (and in our limited testing, they seemed to be doing so all the time). For refunds requested between 15 minutes and 48 hours, the refund is processed normally, and the developer loses the sale. This also results in the app being removed from the user’s library in a similar fashion to the pre-15 minute refund, but it’s initiated in a different way.

While there’s still not a guarantee that you can get a refund on all apps forever with no questions asked, it’s a particularly handy trick if you want to try out an expensive app and you need more than 15 minutes, which is perfectly reasonable in many cases.

Google Has Quietly Implemented Automated Refunds For Apps After The 15 Minute Window [Android Police]


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