Google Play: Don't get purchased in-app items - what to do?
If you purchase additional content or service in an application from the Google Play Store but haven't received the in-app item, you can do something about it. In our practical tip, we will explain how you can claim the in-app article or have the amount paid refunded.
In-app items on the Google Play Store
For some apps in the Google Play Store, you can buy additional content or services. This can be, for example, an in-game currency or other levels. Such content and services are referred to as "in-app items" and the purchase of such items is referred to as "in-app purchase". When you make an in-app purchase, the developer of the application is responsible for ensuring that you receive the item.
- If you don't receive an in-app item, it may be due to a technical error. If it is not a bug, you should contact the developer. However, if the developer doesn’t respond either, get a refund from Google.
- Follow the solutions below chronologically to either get the purchased in-app item or, if you did not receive the item, get a refund from Google.
1. Didn't receive in-app items? Fix error!
If you have not received the purchased in-app item after a reasonable period of time, you should check whether it is not due to a technical error. Proceed as follows:
- Open the main menu of the "Settings" application on your Android smartphone or tablet and go to "Apps" or "Manage apps" under "Device".
- First select the app in which you made your in-app purchase and tap the "Force exit" button with your finger.
- In a final step, select and start the app on your device in which you made the purchase and check whether the item is now available in your account.
2. Contact the app developer
If the in-app article was not transferred to your account despite troubleshooting, contact the app developer about the missing content or service via email.
- To do this, open the Google Play Store application on your Android device and search for the app by entering the name of the application in the search bar.
- Now select the app from all search results and scroll down to the "Provider" section on the application's details page.
- Under the "Provider" category you will usually find the website, the email address and the data protection declaration of the app developer. Send the developer an email with your customer number, your name and a note of the in-app item that you did not receive.
3. Refund the amount of the in-app purchase from Google
If neither the technical problem solving nor contacting the app developer leads to you receiving your purchased item, please send an email to Google and request a refund.
- First log in to the Google Play Store on your computer with your access data and click on the following link to have the amount refunded by Google.
- At the bottom you will find a form that you fill out to refund the amount paid. Fill in all the necessary text fields and tick the checkbox with the message "Yes, and I am aware [...]".
- As soon as you have entered all the necessary information correctly and checked your information, left-click on the "Submit" button to submit the complaint.
If you want, you can buy your in-app items with your Google Play gift cards in the future as soon as you have redeemed them. Another practical tip tells you how to redeem a Google Play gift card.
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