Islamabad: Starting on December 1, users in Pakistan will be able to make Play Store purchases using credit or debit cards.
“All users in Pakistan have access to Google Play and will continue to do so. The offered payment methods can, nevertheless, alter over time. Users in Pakistan will only be able to make Play Store purchases with credit or debit cards starting on December 1, 2022, until other payment options are made available due to local regulations.” stated Google in a statement.
It has been widely reported recently that the Google Play Store would “close” in Pakistan on December 1; however, this has now been disproven. From December 1, customers in Pakistan will be able to buy apps from the Play Store using their credit or debit cards but not their mobile balance.
“Any action regarding the blocking of payments under DCB will not only have a negative impact on the telcos’ data usage in case of gaming and entertainment apps, but will also have a negative impact on the freelancers,”
After December 1 will I still be able to download apps from the Google Play Store?
The Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) for cellular mobile operators was cancelled by the State Bank of Pakistan, leaving the offer at $34 million. Four mobile carriers and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) then sent a letter to the central bank. Amin Ul Haque, the minister of information technology and telecom, wrote to finance minister Ishaq Dar to inform him that the SBP had authorised IT-related payments under $100,000 through specific commercial banks, including payments for mobile apps and subscription services.
On the other hand, the SBP revoked the designation of banks for Playstore payments on behalf of telecom operators/cellular mobile operators in September 2022.
