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Google Play Books

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

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 useWorksUnchanged since:

From a Syrian connection, the Google Play Books Android app loaded the store normally: a book's page opened with its price, free sample option, description and reviews. Only the purchase itself failed, which is recorded under Payment.

Landing pageNot checked
Sign-inWorksUnchanged since:

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.

PaymentFailsUnchanged since:

Buying an e-book in the Google Play Books Android app from a Syrian connection failed: tapping the buy button returned a generic error saying something went wrong on Google's side, instead of opening Google Play's purchase dialog. With a VPN switched on, the same purchase dialog loaded, which points...

Progress Timeline

Contacted

Activity Summary

Restricted for users 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.

Contacted Company

Community Updates

A community volunteer emailed Google's cloud compliance team asking it to review the restrictions on users in Syria, citing Syria's removal from the US state sponsors of terrorism list. No response was recorded.

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.

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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.

Many international services blocked access to Syria due to previous sanctions and compliance policies. Even as sanctions are being reviewed, some companies have not yet restored access. Unblock Syria tracks these services and advocates for change.

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.