The RefundHalt blog

Refund mechanics, store policy changes, and revenue defense tactics for app developers.

Deep dive·7 min read

The refunds you cannot contest: what Apple and Google decide without asking you

Only two refund flows ever ask for your evidence: Apple's consumption request and Google Play's chargeback review. Everything else, the 48-hour Play refund, support refunds, voided purchases, unacknowledged trials, is decided without you. Here is the full map, what you can prevent, and what you can only record.

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Deep dive·8 min read

Apple's CONSUMPTION_REQUEST, explained: the 12 hours that decide your refund

When a customer asks Apple for a refund, Apple asks you first. Here's exactly what the CONSUMPTION_REQUEST notification contains, what Apple expects back, how to answer one end to end, and why most developers silently forfeit.

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Policy watch·7 min read

Google Play's 2026 chargeback shift: you now pay for lost disputes

For orders placed after August 3, 2026, Google Play splits chargeback costs with developers. Here's exactly how the new pendingRefundReviewNotification and orders.reviewrefund flow works, step by step — and how to automate it.

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Playbook·6 min read

Refund rules that actually work: what to grant, what to contest

Blanket-declining every refund is as wrong as ignoring them. A field guide to measuring what refunds cost you and writing policy rules that protect revenue and your review score at the same time.

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