Earlier this month, Greece instituted new regulations amid the country’s financial crisis that blocked users from renewing iCloud subscriptions and buying from iTunes and the App Store. At the time, this left many users wondering what would happen to their iCloud data, seeing that they legally couldn’t pay to keep their subscription alive. Now, however, it appears that Apple is stepping up to ensure that user data remains intact during Greece’s financial crisis.
Greek website iPhoneHellas reports that Apple will not charge Greek iCloud subscribers for their paid storage plans until 30 days after the normal renewal date, effectively giving users a free month of storage. This contradicts the emails Apple originally sent to users in Greece that stated accounts would be downgraded to the standard 5GB tier if the renewal charge was declined.
The company notes, however, that if charges are still declined after the 30-day grace period, users will need to reduce the amount of iCloud storage they use and look for alternative services.
The full text of the email Apple is sending to iCloud users is below:
The financial crisis in Greece, as it stands right now, means that Apple cannot legally accept payments from anyone with a Greek account. The country’s problems stem from a combination of low levels of tax collection and the global financial crash. Officials in the country put new stricter economic controls in place, such as the ban on overseas payments and transfers, to prevent the banking system from completely crashing.
Dear iCloud customer,
To prevent interruption in your iCloud service during the current fiscal crisis, and to make sure you have access to your content, we’ve extended your iCloud storage plan for an extra 30 days at no additional cost.
We won’t attempt to charge you for your plan until 30 days after your original renewal date. If we are unable to renew your plan, you may need to reduce the amount of iCloud storage you use.
The iCloud Team
