A few days ago Apple introduce a new 14-day no-questions-asked refund period in all EU markets for iTunes Store and App Store.
That effectively means EU customers buying paid content from the App Store, can ask for their money back in case they end up hating an iOS or iPhone app. The new refund policy can apparently be abused because users can both ask for their money back and still keep the app.
Step 1. Buy an app from the App Store
Step 2. Download the app on the iOS device and/or Mac
Step 3. Ask for a refund
Apple will refund the money, the app will be removed from the user’s “Purchased” account history, but the app will still be available on the iPhone, iPad and Mac where it was downloaded on.
You would not be able download the app again from the App Store or get update, but you can use the installed app on iOS devices, or sync your Mac with an iOS device to reinstall the app.
Once access to the app is lost, it can be theoretically purchased again, and then refunded.
Just because this trick can be used to download many paid apps free of charge in EU countries, that doesn’t mean you should go ahead and do it. After all, developers who come up with all the amazing apps available in the App Store do have to make a living.
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