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Google Play Books

Google Play Books works in Syria, but not all of it, as of .

Company: Google

Google's digital bookstore for purchasing and reading e-books, audiobooks, and comics

Last Updated

High-vote services get prioritized for outreach

What works

Each part of the service, checked from Syria.

Core useWorks

From a Syrian connection, Google Play Books was browsed on desktop and in the Android app, a book's page opened, and its free sample could be read in the web reader and in the app.

Landing pageWorks

The Books section of the Google Play store loaded normally from a Syrian connection, on desktop and in the Android app.

Sign-inWorks

The Google Play Books Android app was used from a Syrian connection with a signed-in Google account, far enough to attempt buying a book. No screenshot is attached here; the test's screenshots show the purchase error recorded under Payment.

PaymentFails

Buying an e-book from a Syrian connection failed on the website and in the Android app: the buy button returned the error "Something went wrong on our end. Please try again."

Progress Timeline

No Response

Activity Summary

Partly available in Syria. Community volunteers have repeatedly emailed Google's compliance team since February 2026, most recently in September citing Syria's removal from the US terrorism list, with no response.

Follow-up Sent

Community Updates

A community volunteer emailed Google's cloud compliance team asking it to review the restriction on users in Syria, citing Syria's removal from the US state sponsors of terrorism list, and asked which regulation applies if it stays.

Need Help with Google Play Books?

If you're experiencing issues accessing Google Play Books in Syria, you can reach out to their support team directly.

Work at Google? Know someone who does?

Sanctions are lifted. Most companies just haven't updated their policies. A word from inside Google can change that.

Tips for advocating

  • Reach out to legal, compliance, or policy teams.
  • Reference the lifted sanctions.
  • Point to competitors who have already unblocked Syria.

Frequently Asked Questions

Partly. The core use of Google Play Books works in Syria, but something else about it fails or has not been checked. This page lists what works and what does not.

The core use of Google Play Books works from Syria, but at least one part, such as sign-up, payment or a feature, fails or has not been checked yet. The list on this page shows which parts work and which do not, with the date each was tested.

You can help by voting on this page to show demand, sharing it on social media, and contacting Google Play Books directly to request they restore access for Syrian users.