Google suspends its paid services of Play Store and YouTube in Russia

Google suspends its paid services of Play Store and YouTube in Russia

Google is suspending all its paid services in Russia that include Play Store and YouTube. It means that Google users in the Russian territories will not be able to make purchases in-app or pay for subscriptions, renew it or subscribe a new one. YouTube also offers premium content ad-free with monthly, quarterly and annual packages. This came after Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions on the country by US.

On the contrary, the apps available for free on Google owned Play Store continue to work and are available as well in Russia.

“Due to payment system disruption, we will be pausing Google Play’s billing system for users in Russia in the coming days. This means users will not be able to purchase apps and games, make subscription payments or conduct any in-app purchases of digital goods using Google Play in Russia. Free apps will remain available on the Play Store,” Google said.

After the announced sanctions by the American President, Joe Biden, the companies that are based out of US are following this path of either stopping their services completely or partially.

Tech giants such as Twitter and Apple have already announced restraint from their side.

“We are committed to complying with all applicable sanctions and trade compliance laws and we continue to monitor the latest guidance. Users in affected regions will still be able to use Google Play, including downloading free apps, but unable to make purchases,” it added.

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Get a free year of VPN access with MacPaw’s ClearVPN

Get a free year of VPN access with MacPaw’s ClearVPN

AppleInsider is supported by its audience and may earn commission as an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner on qualifying purchases. These affiliate partnerships do not influence our editorial content.

MacPaw is offering a free one-year subscription to ClearVPN, a promotion intended to keep the Internet open and usable during the ongoing international incident in the Ukraine.
The situation in the Ukraine has affected the entire tech world, and with communications being all-important at such times, it can be impacted by strategic maneuvers. For example, in the wake of Facebook and Twitter changing policies and stopping advertising in the Ukraine and Russia, a Russian regulator ordered to throttle both social media platforms in retaliation.
For people in territories that face such throttling efforts, one workaround is to use a VPN. Rather than forcing users into using potentially malicious free VPN services, MacPaw has taken a different tactic.
Free ClearVPN for 12 months
According to tweets from ClearVPN in support of the Ukraine, the app urges users to “share the truth” about events in the country. As part of the urging, it is providing a promo code to get a year of access to ClearVPN for free.
To claim the year, users must sign up for a free account at the ClearVPN website. Once signed up and in the account screen, users must click “Redeem a promocode” under Billing Info, and enter the code “SAVEUKRAINE” in the box.
As a warning, the code may not necessarily work the first time, with social media users posting notices that it is an “invalid code.” ClearVPN has said in a later Twitter post that it has already seen over 20,000 activations, and its servers are “a bit overloaded” from the attention.
If it doesn’t work first time, try again a bit later. .

7 of the Best Evernote Alternatives (and Why You Should Finally Switch)

7 of the Best Evernote Alternatives (and Why You Should Finally Switch)

Image for article titled 7 of the Best Evernote Alternatives (and Why You Should Finally Switch)Don’t think of OneNote as something that’s only for Windows users. Like many Microsoft apps, OneNote feels right at home on iPhone, Macs, and Android phones. There’s a pretty good web app, and a web clipper.
When it comes to platforms and support, OneNote is just as omnipresent as Evernote. And the free plan isn’t so bad either. You get access to features like audio notes, image attachments, reminders, tags, collaboration, OCR, and more, without paying a dime. And if you do pay for Microsoft 365, you get access to extra features like Math Assistant, Researcher, and more. But for most users, that isn’t necessary.OneNote storage is included with OneDrive, so you get 5GB for free, and you can upgrade to 100GB for $1.99/month. The only downside is the potential adjustment period. OneNote works quite differently from Evernote. OneNote organizes notes in sections, and the notes can be edited free-form. But once you get used to it, it’s smooth sailing. .