What happened
Russian authorities compelled mobile operators to discontinue carrier billing as a payment method for App Store purchases.
What remains unchanged
Gift cards can still be purchased to top up account balances. However, most are not actively promoting this option, as gift cards are widely available on the black market at significantly inflated prices, meaning many users who go this route end up paying more to resellers than to developers or Apple itself.
Apple's response
Apple has made it considerably easier for Russian accounts to switch their App Store country. Previously, users were required to spend their remaining balance before switching; that restriction has been lifted.
How users are responding
Some users are purchasing gift cards, but a larger portion are either switching their account's country or creating a secondary account registered in a country where obtaining a bank account is relatively straightforward.
Some users are purchasing gift cards, but a larger portion are either switching their account's country or creating a secondary account registered in a country where obtaining a bank account is relatively straightforward.
What to expect
In the near term, we will likely see an apparent decline in AppStore payments in accounts attributed to Russian AppStore, offset by growth in of purchases attributed to countries such as Belarus, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Turkey, Serbia, and the United States.
In the near term, we will likely see an apparent decline in AppStore payments in accounts attributed to Russian AppStore, offset by growth in of purchases attributed to countries such as Belarus, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Turkey, Serbia, and the United States.