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Apple has started bringing back card payment support for Apple Account purchases in India, marking the return of a payment option that had been unavailable for more than four years. The move reflects the company’s ongoing efforts to adapt its digital services to India’s evolving regulatory environment, which has significantly reshaped the country’s online payments ecosystem.

The rollout is being introduced gradually and allows eligible users in India to add Visa and Mastercard credit or debit cards to their Apple Account. Once enabled, customers can use those cards to pay for services such as iCloud+, Apple Music, App Store purchases, and other Apple digital subscriptions.

Apple originally discontinued card payments in India in May 2022 after regulatory changes altered the country’s framework for recurring online payments. Since then, customers have relied primarily on Unified Payments Interface (UPI), internet banking, and Apple Account balances to pay for subscriptions and digital content within Apple’s ecosystem.

The latest development highlights a broader challenge facing Apple as governments increasingly introduce country-specific regulations requiring global technology companies to customise products, payment systems, and digital services to meet local legal requirements, rather than offering a single standardised experience worldwide. Similar regulatory pressures have already prompted Apple to modify aspects of its App Store operations in Europe. At the same time, changes in Japan and South Korea have also influenced how the company manages app distribution and payment systems.

According to a person familiar with the matter, Apple has completed the necessary backend changes required to support card-based recurring payments under India’s current regulatory framework. The phased rollout has already begun and is expected to reach all eligible users over time. Apple has also updated its official support documentation to reflect the return of card payment functionality.

India’s revised recurring payments framework, introduced by the Reserve Bank of India in 2021 and implemented gradually, required merchants and payment service providers to strengthen customer authentication for recurring card transactions. The regulations also mandated tokenised card credentials while prohibiting merchants from storing customers’ card information directly. The transition caused significant disruption to subscription-based services at both domestic and international companies until their payment infrastructure was updated.

“It’s long overdue, but it’s happening finally. “ This solves one of the friction points for subscription renewals,” said Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research.

Pathak noted that Apple’s services business in India has continued to grow at a double-digit rate despite the absence of direct card payment support. However, he said restoring the option becomes increasingly important as Apple’s installed user base expands and customers expect greater flexibility in choosing how they pay for subscriptions and digital services.

The return of card payments is also likely to fuel renewed speculation about a future launch of Apple Pay in India. Previous media reports have suggested that Apple has explored introducing its mobile payment platform in the country. However, the company has not officially announced any plans to launch Apple Pay for Indian users.

Apple did not respond to requests seeking comment on the development.