Starting April 1, 2026, Russian iPhone users can no longer pay for App Store purchases or subscriptions using their mobile phone carrier balance. Attempted payments now trigger an error message: ”Mobile phone payment is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.” This issue was first observed just after midnight by itzine.ru’s team.

The pause in mobile carrier billing affects subscribers of Russia’s four largest operators: MTS, Beeline (VimpelCom), T2, and MegaFon. The Ministry of Digital Development (Ministry of Digital) instructed the carriers to block this payment method during a meeting with Minister Maksut Shadaev on March 28, describing the disruption as temporary.

• Disabling carrier billing commenced simultaneously at 00:00 on April 1, 2026, across the major Russian operators.
• The Ministry aims to pressure Apple to restore Russian apps removed from the App Store.
• Russian media outlet RBC reports a secondary goal: limiting VPN app payments via mobile balance.

Mobile carrier billing in Russia and Apple ID payments

Carrier billing payments were directly available through MTS and VimpelCom/Beeline, while T2 and MegaFon offered the feature via third-party partners. Introduced around 2019-2020, this system tied a user’s phone number to their Apple ID for seamless billing on iPhones.

Since 2022, this payment method became the primary option for Russian iPhone users after Apple stopped accepting Visa, Mastercard, and Mir bank cards issued in Russia due to sanctions. Paying from mobile balances filled the gap for millions subscribing to iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+, games, and apps.

MTS reports that roughly 22% of its subscribers use Apple devices, while iOS market share in Russia held steady between 40% and 42% through 2022-2024, according to data from T-Bank’s T-Data project.

Reasons behind the Ministry of Digital’s block on Apple payments

The directive to halt carrier billing came from the meeting on March 28 with Ministry of Digital head Maksut Shadaev. A government source cited by TASS explained, ”The Ministry believes that temporary operator restrictions might push the tech company [Apple] to comply with Russian laws, as lost revenue would become too significant otherwise.”

Since 2022, Apple has removed numerous Russian apps from the App Store, including banking, mapping, aviation, classifieds, and aggregator services, citing sanctions. The source also noted that Apple has not complied with law No. 194 requiring installation of Russia’s RuStore app marketplace, restricts alternative payment methods, and disobeys Roskomnadzor orders to remove VPN apps from the Russian App Store.

RBC reports that limiting VPN payments is a key motive. VPN apps reportedly make up over 80% of all App Store purchases in Russia, highlighting how important carrier billing is to those sales.

Russia’s decision to suspend mobile carrier billing with Apple reflects increasing regulatory pressure on global tech firms to comply with local laws, often conflicting with the companies’ broader policies. Meanwhile, Apple’s refusal to re-enable Russian banking and alternative payment options leaves millions of users with fewer ways to pay for digital services.

What to watch next: Whether this temporary ban nudges Apple to reintroduce Russian apps and payment options, or if the standoff deepens. Also, attention will focus on whether Apple will finally allow RuStore integration or loosen restrictions on VPN apps, which remain contentious in the ongoing geopolitical digital tug-of-war.