Here’s a funny thing. Until now, if you applied for a refund on an app on the iPhone or iPad, you could still reinstall or update that app even after getting the refund. This essentially made the app free for users. It’s surprising that Apple never took notice of such a big issue up till now. However, Apple has closed the loophole and if someone who has already got a refund tries to reinstall the app, he’s greeted by an error saying that the app is no longer available since it is either owned by another user or has been refunded/canceled.
Users on iOS devices can apply for a refund by selecting one of the options when they choose “Report a problem”. We have no doubt that some users who were aware of the loophole would have exploited it well enough. Although it didn’t hurt anybody, but this obviously made them get free apps when the money should have gone to developers. But now that this gate has been shut all we can think of is it’s better late than never, right?
[Source]