Google Play chargeback defense.
Google Play only lets you contest one refund type: a chargeback under review. Refund Sensor connects to Google Play RTDN and submits a decline recommendation via the Review Refund API on every chargeback the moment it opens, inside Google's 24-hour window. Every other refund and voided purchase is tracked in the same dashboard as the App Store.
- Review Refund API
- No code changes
- Free to start
From chargeback signal to defended revenue
What changed on Google Play on August 3, 2026
As of August 3, 2026, Google Play shifts chargeback costs to developers: the order amount minus the service fee, plus a card-network fee that's typically $15 to $25 per case. In exchange, Google opened the Review Refund API and gives you about 24 hours to submit evidence on each chargeback review. Refund Sensor answers those reviews automatically, so you don't eat the chargeback just for missing the window.
A chargeback review is the one refund Google asks your input on. On the App Store, Apple asks for your input with a CONSUMPTION_REQUEST on ordinary refunds; Google Play only opens a review when a customer disputes the charge with their payment provider. Every other refund and voided purchase is decided without you and shows up only after the money and the entitlement are gone.
Refund Sensor closes both gaps. It answers that 24-hour window for you, and it already keeps a record of the refunds Google decides on its own, the part most teams have no visibility into at all, so you can finally see where Android revenue is going and which products it leaks from.
Everything you need for Android chargeback defense
Real-time developer notifications
We wire up and verify Google Play RTDN over Pub/Sub, so refund and lifecycle events reach you within seconds instead of after the fact.
Voided purchase tracking
Every voided or refunded purchase is captured and reconciled against the order, so silent background refunds no longer slip past you. Google decides these on its own, so they are recorded rather than contested.
Chargeback review defense
When a chargeback goes under review, we submit a decline recommendation with delivery and consumption evidence through Google's Review Refund API, inside Google's roughly 24-hour window. This is live now.
One dashboard for both stores
Google Play cases sit alongside your App Store cases with the same timelines, success-rate analytics, and revenue-protected reporting.
No code changes
Everything runs through Play Console and Google's APIs. There is nothing to add to your app and no release to resubmit.
Encrypted, least-privilege access
We use a scoped OAuth token to read financial data and manage orders. No user personal data is collected, and secrets are encrypted at rest.
What you need before you start
Play Console access
Under the same Google account you connect with.
Two account permissions
"View financial data" and "Manage orders and subscriptions".
A Google Cloud project
Somewhere for your Pub/Sub topic to live. We do the rest.
From connect to first defended chargeback
Sign in, grant two permissions, and Refund Sensor takes it from there.
- 1
Continue with Google
From the connect wizard, choose Google Play and sign in with Google. Grant the requested scopes, and we keep an encrypted OAuth refresh token, so there is no service-account JSON to download or rotate.
- 2
Grant Play Console permissions
In Play Console, open Users & permissions and give the connected account the two permissions above for this app.
- 3
Let us provision real-time notifications
Refund Sensor creates the Pub/Sub topic and push subscription in your Google Cloud project, grants Google Play the publisher role, and registers it as the app's notification endpoint. There is nothing to paste into Play Console.
- 4
Wait for the first refund event
Google has no test button, so the app shows "Awaiting first refund event" until a real one arrives. If auto setup ever fails, the app card tells you exactly which permission is missing.
- 5
Chargebacks start defending automatically
Every chargeback review is answered with a decline recommendation backed by delivery and engagement evidence, and every other refund or voided purchase is tracked in your dashboard today.
Google Play refund questions
Usually, yes. Chargebacks tend to be few but high value, because disputed orders skew large. Your dashboard splits contested from uncontested from day one, so you can size the opportunity against your own numbers instead of a benchmark.
Because Google only opens a review when a customer disputes the charge with their payment provider, and that's the one refund it asks your recommendation on. Every other Google Play refund is decided without you. It's a real difference between the stores, not a limit in Refund Sensor.
No. You sign in with Google and grant two Play Console permissions, and we create the Pub/Sub topic and wire up notifications for you. There's nothing to paste into Play Console and no code to write.
No. You submit a recommendation through Google's own Play Developer API, backed by delivery and consumption evidence. That's the path Google provides for it, so you're using it, not gaming it.
Yes. Connect an app now with no card. Apple refund defense and Google Play chargeback defense are both live today. Paid plans come in as your volume grows, and the pricing page has the details.
You'll see "Awaiting first refund event" until a real one arrives, since Google gives no way to simulate it. If any permission is missing, the app card tells you exactly which one, so you're never guessing whether the connection is live.
It's live now, and it runs on the same verified pipeline that already handles our App Store defense. Chargeback replies go out in real time, inside Google's roughly 24-hour window.
Yes. We use a scoped OAuth token that only reads financial data and manages orders, and secrets are encrypted at rest. We don't collect your users' personal data.
No. Everything happens server to server between Refund Sensor and Google. Your app is untouched, the purchase flow doesn't change, and your customer just sees Google's decision the way they always have.
Defend your Google Play revenue
Connect your app now. Google Play chargeback defense is live, so you're covered from your first refund event. Free to start, no credit card, no code changes.