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flutter using revenuecat getting "The device or user is not allowed to make the purchase."

  • June 15, 2026
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I'm using a Flutter project and RevenueCat for payment processing, but both of my projects are experiencing subscription failures. The SDK is showing the following error message:

 

 

E/[Purchases] - ERROR(): 🤖‼️ Error when fetching products - DebugMessage: Billing Unavailable. ErrorCode: BILLING_UNAVAILABLE.
E/[Purchases] - ERROR(): 🤖‼️ PurchasesError(code=PurchaseNotAllowedError, underlyingErrorMessage=Error when fetching products - DebugMessage: Billing Unavailable. ErrorCode: BILLING_UNAVAILABLE., message='The device or user is not allowed to make the purchase.')
E/[Purchases] - ERROR(): 🤖‼️ Error fetching offerings - PurchasesError(code=PurchaseNotAllowedError, underlyingErrorMessage=Error when fetching products 

 

I used a real machine to run it, and my APK was also released on Google Play's internal testing platform. I tried it on different machines and logged into different Google accounts.

 

I've checked the forums and seen similar issues before, but there weren't any correct solutions. I'm very anxious and hope someone can help me.

Best answer by matt-heaney

Hey there,

Thank you for the additional information.

Unfortunately, yes, this is likely the reason you are running into this issue. Google Play Billing is not available in mainland China. Other apps you have seen may be using different billing systems than those offered by Google.

I’m sorry. I truly wish there was more I could do to assist, but this is a restriction imposed by Google Play.

It’s worth noting that apps developed in mainland China should still be able to sell products to users in regions where Google Play Billing is supported. Depending on your target user base, Google Play Billing could still be a viable option. It would mean, however, that you would not be able to test purchases using a China-based account.

I hope this information helps and provides some clarity on what is happening here.

If there is anything else I can do to help, please let me know.

Thanks,

    4 replies

    matt-heaney
    RevenueCat Staff
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    • matt-heaney
    • RevenueCat Staff
    • June 15, 2026

    Hey there,

     

    Thank you for your message. Matt from RevenueCat here!

     

    This error is coming from Google and is not related to your products or RevenueCat configuration. This error is typically thrown before products or offerings can load.

     

    Could you please let me know how you are running your app? If the app was sideloaded rather than installed from a Google Play testing track, this behavior would be expected, as Google can block billing on builds that are not installed from a Play track, even if the same APK or AAB has been uploaded to Google Play.

     

    To fully test this, we recommend the following steps:

    • Upload your AAB to Internal Testing and publish the release.

    • Add your Gmail account under Setup → License Testing.

    • Add the same Gmail account under Internal Testing → Testers.

    • Open the opt-in link and accept the invitation.

    • Install the app directly from the Google Play Store.

    • Confirm the app information shows "Installed from Google Play".

    • Test purchases from that installation.

     

    If you continue to experience the same issue after following these steps, please let us know and we'll be happy to continue investigating.

     

    I hope this helps!

     

    Thanks!

    Matt, Developer Support Engineer @ RevenueCat
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    • fantasy23
    • Author
    • New Member
    • June 16, 2026

    Thank you for your answer ,Matt. 

    I carefully read your answer and checked each point myself. I downloaded the APK from the internal testing link, and after installing it, my account was listed in the internal testing list. However, I'm still getting the same error message, which I've already screenshotted. I'm also currently contacting the Google team for assistance. I'm not sure if I did anything wrong, but other apps on my phone are showing their subscriptions.

     

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    • fantasy23
    • Author
    • New Member
    • June 16, 2026

    I'm now wondering if it's a problem with my account's region. My region is in China; could that be causing this issue?

    matt-heaney
    RevenueCat Staff
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    • matt-heaney
    • RevenueCat Staff
    • Answer
    • June 17, 2026

    Hey there,

    Thank you for the additional information.

    Unfortunately, yes, this is likely the reason you are running into this issue. Google Play Billing is not available in mainland China. Other apps you have seen may be using different billing systems than those offered by Google.

    I’m sorry. I truly wish there was more I could do to assist, but this is a restriction imposed by Google Play.

    It’s worth noting that apps developed in mainland China should still be able to sell products to users in regions where Google Play Billing is supported. Depending on your target user base, Google Play Billing could still be a viable option. It would mean, however, that you would not be able to test purchases using a China-based account.

    I hope this information helps and provides some clarity on what is happening here.

    If there is anything else I can do to help, please let me know.

    Thanks,

    Matt, Developer Support Engineer @ RevenueCat
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