Digital Products: Your Rights When Downloads, Apps and Subscriptions Go Wrong
Digital content has its own set of consumer rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (Part 1, Chapter 3). Whether it is a downloaded game, a faulty app, a streaming service that does not work, or software that corrupts your files, you have clear legal rights to a repair, replacement, or price reduction. These rights apply whether you paid once or through a subscription.
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What counts as digital content?
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 defines digital content as data produced and supplied in digital form, including:
- ✓Downloaded games, music, films, e-books, and software
- ✓Apps (mobile and desktop)
- ✓Streaming services (Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, etc.)
- ✓Cloud storage services
- ✓In-game purchases and downloadable content (DLC)
- ✓Antivirus software and productivity tools
- ✓Online courses and digital subscriptions
Your basic rights for digital content
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, digital content you pay for (or receive as part of a paid contract) must be:
- ✓Of satisfactory quality: free from minor defects, reasonably durable, and meeting the standard a reasonable person would regard as satisfactory
- ✓Fit for a particular purpose: if you told the trader what you needed it for, it must meet that purpose
- ✓As described: matching any description given, including in advertising, specifications, or previews
What remedies can you claim?
If digital content fails to meet the required standards, you have a tiered set of remedies:
Subscriptions, ongoing rights
If you pay for an ongoing subscription service (streaming, software, cloud storage), the standards apply to the service throughout the subscription period, not just when you first sign up.
- ✓If the service degrades significantly during your subscription (e.g. features are removed, quality drops), you may be entitled to a price reduction for the period affected
- ✓Auto-renewal: under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA), subscription traders must now send renewal reminders and make cancellation straightforward, your right to cancel on short notice is protected
- ✓If a subscription service closes down, you may be entitled to a refund for unused paid periods, claim against the company (or via chargeback if recently paid by card)
- ✓Free trial to paid subscription: if you were not clearly informed of the switch to paid, you can dispute the charges
Automatic updates and changed content
Digital products often update automatically. Under the Consumer Rights Act, updates must maintain the standard of the content, an update cannot make it worse:
- ✓If an automatic update breaks functionality you had when you bought the content, the trader is in breach
- ✓You have the right to refuse updates, but if the trader can show the fault would not have occurred had you accepted the update, your rights may be limited
- ✓For ongoing services (like cloud software), the trader must provide updates that maintain the required standard throughout the contract period
How to make a complaint
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A Citizens Advice appointment can take weeks. Our free assistant is available 24/7 with no appointment, giving you clear, step-by-step answers about your exact situation, what to do next, and the deadlines that matter.
Need to take action? It can draft a ready-to-send formal letter for you (optional, from £4.99).
England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland.
Frequently asked questions
I downloaded a game and it does not work as described, am I entitled to a refund?
You are entitled to a repair or replacement first. If that fails or is not possible, you can claim a price reduction up to the full amount. Many gaming platforms (Steam, PlayStation Store, Xbox) have their own refund policies which may be more generous than the statutory minimum, check these first before relying on your legal rights.
A streaming service removed content I was watching mid-subscription, can I claim anything?
Possibly. If the removal of content represents a significant change that means the service is no longer fit for purpose or as described, you may be entitled to a price reduction for the remaining subscription period. Contact the provider first; if they refuse, you can pursue via chargeback or small claims.
My antivirus software caused my computer to crash and I lost files, can I claim?
Yes. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you can claim damages if digital content (including software) damages your device or other digital content. The damage must be caused by the digital content, and the trader must have had reasonable cause to know this could happen. Document the damage carefully, take screenshots, get a quote for repairs, list files lost.
Does my right to cancel a subscription give me a refund for months already paid?
Generally no, cancellation gives you the right to stop future payments, not a refund for past usage. However, if you were signed up without clear notice of the cost, if the service has been consistently faulty, or if a free trial converted to paid without proper warning, you may have grounds to dispute past charges via your bank.
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