In a strange and funny twist of events, Russia's antitrust regulator has opened a formal case against Apple. According to Reuters, Russia wants its local, state-backed apps and marketplace preinstalled on your iPhone, and now the country is ready to take the matter to court.
Russia passed a law requiring phone companies to offer domestic apps
RuStore is Russia's domestic app marketplace. | Image by RuStore
Back in 2019, Russia passed a law requiring smartphones and tablets sold in the country to offer domestic apps. This law went into effect two years later in 2021. Apple and Russian authorities reached an agreement back then to allow iPhone users to choose from a recommended Russian apps on initial setup, rather than having them preinstalled.
In 2022, when the war in Ukraine broke, Apple stopped selling its products in Russia as part of the sanctions against the invading country. Apple also removed the RT News and Sputnik News apps from App Stores outside Russia, and later removed more apps developed by the Russian technology company VK.
Should state-backed apps be preinstalled on iPhones in Russia?
Last year, Russia tightened the law
MAX messenger is often dubbed Putin's alternative to WhatsApp. | Image by VK
Last year, Russia began requiring state-backed MAX Messenger and the RuStore app marketplace to be preinstalled on Apple devices.
Apple didn't comply with these new requirements and further escalated things by removing MAX Messenger, one of the most popular messaging apps in the country with 50 million registered users, from the Russian App Store, earlier this June.
This prompted Russian authorities to order Apple to address this discriminatory behavior. The deadline was June 15. According to the Reuters report, Apple partially complied, preinstalling a Russian search engine on iOS 26.6 for iPhones operating in Russia.
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But the company didn't include the MAX Messenger and the RuStore app store. And now Russia is taking the matter to court.
Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service has opened a formal antitrust case against Apple
Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service wants to sue Apple. | Image by FAS Russia
After Apple failed to comply with Russia's requirements, the country's antitrust organization, the Federal Antimonopoly Service, has opened a legal case against Apple.
Russia’s anti-monopoly watchdog has opened a case against Apple after the U.S. technology company failed to comply with a warning related to the pre-installation of Russia’s MAX messaging app and Russian app store on its devices
- Reuters, August 3
This isn't the first time Russia threatens a big tech company with fines and legal action. Back in 2024, a Russian court imposed a record fine on Google that equals more money than there is on earth.
Russia calculated that Google owes the country $20 decillion (20 followed by 33 zeroes) for refusing to unblock state-backed YouTube channels.
Is this some kind of joke?
Sadly, as satirical as this might sound, it's real-world news. How serious could this court case be? Apple shouldn't be too worried about all this. Russian courts have jurisdiction on Russian territory, and any sanctions imposed on the company won't affect its operations worldwide. Especially with the current political situation around the war in Ukraine.
Simply put, even if Russia finds Apple guilty for digital discrimination or something of the sort and imposes a ridiculous fine, Apple doesn't have to pay it.
The only side affected negatively in all this could be Russian people using iPhones and other Apple products.
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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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