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After nearly five years, Apple has resumed support for credit and debit card payments for the App Store in India. The company took this step after complying with the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) card tokenization norms. This will make it easier for iPhone and iPad users to purchase apps and pay for subscriptions.

Currently, Apple supports Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards. However, payments cannot be made directly on the App Store using these cards; users must first add funds to their Apple Account Wallet, and that balance can then be used to purchase apps or pay for subscriptions like iCloud+.

**Phased Rollout**
The company is rolling out this feature in phases, and it will reach all Apple accounts in the coming days. Meanwhile, the option to add funds to the Apple Account via UPI will remain available as before. According to reports, support for RuPay cards may also be added in the coming weeks.

Notably, the RBI implemented card tokenization rules a few years ago to enhance the security of online payments. Under these rules, companies are prohibited from storing a user's actual card number and expiry date; instead, a secure digital token is used. This was the reason Apple had previously discontinued card payments in India.

However, Apple has clarified that this does not mean Apple Pay has launched in India. Apple Pay is the company's contactless payment service, which is currently unavailable in the country.

To add a card to their Apple Account, users must complete verification via OTP. Once added, the saved card can be removed at any time. Meanwhile, recurring subscriptions like iCloud+ will operate under the RBI's e-mandate norms; an initial OTP authorization is required, while subsequent payments within a set limit will be processed automatically following a notification from the bank.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from News18 Hindi. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.