Apple brings back card payments for Apple Account purchases in India after a four-year hiatus
Apple brings back card payments for Apple Account purchases in India after a four-year hiatus
苹果在印度恢复 Apple Account 银行卡支付功能，此前已中断四年
Apple has begun restoring card payments for Apple Account purchases in India more than four years after withdrawing the option, the latest sign of how the iPhone maker is adapting its services to regulatory changes that have reshaped the country’s digital payments landscape. 在撤销该选项四年多后，苹果公司已开始恢复印度 Apple Account 的银行卡支付功能。这是这家 iPhone 制造商为适应重塑印度数字支付格局的监管变化而调整其服务的最新迹象。
The change, which is rolling out in phases, allows users in India to add eligible Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards to their Apple Account to pay for subscriptions such as iCloud+ and Apple Music, as well as App Store purchases. 此次调整正分阶段进行，允许印度用户将符合条件的 Visa 和 Mastercard 信用卡及借记卡添加到其 Apple Account 中，用于支付 iCloud+ 和 Apple Music 等订阅服务，以及 App Store 的购买项目。
In May 2022, Apple suspended card payments in India following changes to the country’s recurring payments framework. Since then, users have relied on UPI, India’s real-time payments network, net banking, and Apple Account balance for subscriptions and other Apple digital purchases. 2022 年 5 月，由于印度调整了循环支付框架，苹果暂停了在印度的银行卡支付功能。自那时起，用户只能依靠印度实时支付网络 UPI、网上银行以及 Apple Account 余额来支付订阅费用和其他苹果数字产品。
The move illustrates a broader challenge for Apple as governments around the world impose country-specific rules on digital platforms, increasingly requiring the Cupertino company to tailor products, payments, and other services to local regulatory frameworks rather than offer a uniform global experience. 此举凸显了苹果面临的更广泛挑战：随着全球各国政府对数字平台实施针对性的监管规则，苹果公司越来越需要根据当地的监管框架来定制产品、支付和其他服务，而无法再提供统一的全球化体验。
Similar pressures have led Apple to revise parts of its App Store business in Europe, while regulatory changes in Japan and South Korea have also reshaped aspects of app distribution and payments. 类似的压力已促使苹果修改了其在欧洲的部分 App Store 业务，而日本和韩国的监管变化也重塑了当地应用分发和支付的相关环节。
Apple has made the back-end changes needed to support card payments under India’s regulatory framework, according to a person familiar with the matter. The phased rollout began recently and is expected to expand to all eligible users over time. Apple has also updated its support documentation to reflect the change. 据知情人士透露，苹果已完成必要的后台调整，以支持印度监管框架下的银行卡支付。此次分阶段推广于近期开始，预计将逐步覆盖所有符合条件的用户。苹果也已更新了其支持文档以反映这一变化。
The framework, introduced by the Reserve Bank of India in 2021 and implemented in stages, required merchants and payment providers to introduce stronger customer authentication for recurring card payments and adopt tokenized card credentials, while preventing merchants from storing customers’ card details. The transition disrupted subscription billing for many domestic and international companies before they updated their payment systems. 该框架由印度储备银行于 2021 年推出并分阶段实施，要求商户和支付服务提供商对循环银行卡支付引入更强的客户身份验证，并采用银行卡令牌化（tokenization）技术，同时禁止商户存储客户的银行卡详细信息。在许多国内外公司更新其支付系统之前，这一过渡期曾导致其订阅计费受到干扰。
“It’s long overdue but happening finally. This solves one of the friction points for subscription renewals,” said Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint Research. Apple’s services business in India has continued to grow at a double-digit pace despite the lack of direct card payments, but restoring the option becomes increasingly important as the company’s installed base expands and more users expect multiple ways to pay, he told TechCrunch. Counterpoint Research 研究总监 Tarun Pathak 表示：“这虽然姗姗来迟，但终于实现了。这解决了订阅续费过程中的一个痛点。”他告诉 TechCrunch，尽管此前缺乏直接的银行卡支付方式，但苹果在印度的服务业务仍保持着两位数的增长速度；随着公司装机量的扩大，越来越多的用户期望拥有多种支付方式，恢复该选项变得愈发重要。
The restoration of card payments is also likely to rekindle speculation about Apple Pay in India, following media reports that the company has explored bringing the service to the country. Apple has not announced any plans to launch the mobile payments service in India. Apple did not respond to a request for comments. 随着媒体报道称苹果曾探索将 Apple Pay 引入印度，此次恢复银行卡支付功能也可能重新引发外界对 Apple Pay 进入印度的猜测。苹果尚未宣布任何在印度推出该移动支付服务的计划。苹果未回应置评请求。