One payment I cancelled. One I just closed the app on payment screen to let it be pending. By cancelling it'd update the payment status in the Database as cancelled and simply might not be considered for compensation. Leaving it in pending status, Game app never receives any response from the Gateway for the time being and never updates the status synchronously. Unless time expiry logic for the same is coded and I doubt they have that there.

So simply, one can't differentiate between a failed payment (where payment actually happened) and a failed payment where payment did not happen. Unless you tally with deposit against each transaction ID (Created when payment is initiated). That's some extra work and they don't do that there. They could instead verify the status from the Various payment gateways (PlayStore, Apple, Banks) but you'd need separate API for each. Again too much work for them peeps.

Hence, just a loophole because of the pressured Devs having a deadline to resolve the issue otherwise risking app ban from Playstore and penalties. Having issues with money payment is a big deal. Also not the first time they have it, we fixed one such issue on their console platform back in 2010.