Mobile Game Refunds and In-App Purchases
Both app stores allow refunds and neither advertises it. The window is short and the route is not where you would look.
The short answer
Both the Apple App Store and Google Play allow refunds for app and in-app purchases, though neither promotes the option prominently. Google Play offers self-service refunds within a short window after purchase, while Apple requires a request through its reportaproblem portal rather than through the App Store itself. Accidental purchases by children are treated sympathetically by both platforms and are among the most commonly approved requests.
Verified and last updated August 12, 2026.
- Time needed
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Read time
- 3 min
Both app stores allow refunds. Neither makes it easy to find, which is presumably not an accident.
The window is short, the route is unintuitive, and requesting immediately matters far more than what you write.
Speed beats wording
Request as soon as you notice. An immediate request has dramatically better odds than a carefully worded one submitted three days later.
Step 1: Request through the right route for your platform
Apple's route is the one people cannot find, because it is a website rather than anything inside the App Store. Going to reportaproblem.apple.com and signing in shows your recent purchases with a request option against each.
Google's is inside the Play Store under order history, and within the immediate window it is genuinely self-service with no review.
Step 2: State the reason accurately and briefly
Two categories are approved most often:
Accidental purchase. A mis-tap, a purchase you did not intend to confirm.
Unauthorised purchase by a child. Both platforms understand this problem well and handle it sympathetically.
Say what happened in one or two sentences. Long explanations do not improve the outcome, and inventing a reason that does not match the purchase pattern makes things worse.
If it was a child's purchase, set up purchase authentication immediately afterwards. A second identical request is considerably less likely to be approved, and both platforms will point out that the control exists. The kids spending guide covers configuring that properly.
Where refunds get difficult
Currency already spent. Once gems become a character, the platform treats the transaction as consumed. Unspent currency is a much easier request.
Repeated requests. Both platforms track patterns, and a history of refunds leads to future ones being refused.
Subscriptions used for a full period. Cancelling stops renewal; it does not usually refund the period you already had.
Worth trying in parallel: the developer's own support. Many will reverse an accidental spend within their own systems even when the platform will not refund the purchase, particularly for a first occurrence.
The gacha spending guide covers the design patterns that produce most accidental purchases, which is the more useful long-term answer.
What works
What doesn't
Key takeaways
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to request a refund?
Google Play offers a self-service refund within a short window measured in hours after purchase, after which requests go to a review process. Apple's window is considerably longer but discretionary rather than guaranteed. In both cases requesting immediately gives dramatically better odds than waiting, so act as soon as you notice.
Can I get a refund for a child's accidental purchase?
Usually yes, and both platforms handle these sympathetically because unauthorised purchases by children are a well-understood problem. State plainly that the purchase was made by a child without permission. Setting up purchase authentication afterwards is worth doing immediately, since a second identical request is much less likely to be approved.
Will requesting refunds get my account banned?
A reasonable number of genuine requests will not, but both platforms track patterns and repeated requests can lead to refunds being refused in future. The systems are designed for occasional legitimate problems rather than as a trial mechanism. Use them when something genuinely went wrong.
What about in-game currency I already spent?
This is where refunds become difficult, because once currency is converted into items the platform considers the transaction consumed. Requesting a refund for unspent currency is far more likely to succeed. Some developers will reverse an accidental spend directly through their own support, which is worth trying in parallel.
About the author
Roblox & Live-Service Editor
Priya started scripting in Roblox Studio at fourteen and has since published three experiences, the largest of which passed 1.2 million visits. That background is why our Roblox coverage explains why a code fails rather than just telling you to try again later.
Found something wrong? Games patch and fixes go stale. If a step here no longer works, tell us at hello@spyld.com and we will retest it. Read how we test and our editorial policy.