Technology
Urgent Google warning over surprise $500 payout appearing on phones – but you CAN’T spend it
A TECHNICAL glitch is falsely showing users of Google’s app store that they have $500 worth of credit to spend.
The bug emerged over the weekend and left fans baffled after they tried and failed to spend the phantom cash.
RedditA technical glitch falsely showed Google Store users that they had $500 to spend[/caption]
It began following an update to the Google Play Store last week that redesigned the platform’s account menu.
Part of the upgrade is a new menu that shows your Google Store credit when you tap on your profile avatar.
That credit can be spent on apps, games and other software for devices that run Google’s popular Android operating system.
Shortly after the update, users reported on social media that their revamped account page was showing $500 worth of credit.
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However, when they tried to spend their newfound riches, the credit disappeared on the final checkout step.
One user on Reddit wrote on Sunday: “I have $500 in Google store credit although I have not made any purchases in the Google store.
“I cannot spend the credit either when checking out it prompts me to use my card with no other option. Is this a bug?”
In a comment underneath the post, a Redditor said they were experiencing the same issue.
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They wrote: “Seems like its a bug, when in the account settings page it shows the balance as $0 but for whatever reason in that menu it shows there is the $500 credit.”
According to 9to5Google, the fault is the result of a user interface bug that appears if you have any credit in your account.
The publication was able to replicate the issue with three separate accounts.
It’s unclear whether the issue only affects users in the U.S. or has spread more widely.
The Sun has reached out to Google for comment.
The firm has made a number of changes to its services in recent weeks to make life easier for its billions of users.
Google announced last week, for instance, that it is making it easier to purge sensitive information about you from search results.
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The U.S. tech titan said that users can now ask to have their addresses and phone numbers removed from results.
Email contacts and other data can also be stripped from results. The move is aimed at protecting people’s privacy and safety online.
AFPGoogle Play users worldwide download more than 100billion mobile apps per year[/caption]
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