We’re not sure if it was a bug or a loophole in the iTunes App Store, but in the past, when an app was refunded and the user got their money back, they were still allowed to reinstall the app at a later time and even update it. Essentially this meant that you could technically buy a paid app, download it, install it, and ask for a refund, but continue to use it later anyway.
Well it looks like Apple has decided to shut that door for good, although it does seem like Apple did take their time going about it. Basically if you’ve asked for a refund on an app and you attempt to update or reinstall it, you will be greeted by the error message pictured in the image above, telling you that you are unable to do so because it has been refunded.
Apple has also extended this to their Mac App Store, so if you were hoping for a cheap/free way to get paid apps, you’d be out of luck. It is unclear as to how much developers had to give back to their customers in refunds over the years, but hopefully this means that fraudulent refunds will be taking a backseat, at least for now.