馃嚦馃嚘NamibiaSouthern Africa
Apple removes Russia's state-backed Max messenger from App Store
via The Namibian1 min read
Apple has removed the Russian state-backed Max messenger from its App Store, according to the app's developers. The removal occurred on Wednesday night, and the reasons for it are currently unclear, with no comment from Apple. Max, a super-app that lacks encryption, has been promoted by Moscow for months, with critics suggesting it could be used for tracking. Russia has encouraged its citizens, civil servants, state companies, schools, and government agencies to use Max for communications, while throttling other popular messengers like WhatsApp and Telegram. Max, launched in 2025 by Russian social media giant VK, combines social media and messaging with government services, digital ID, banking, and payments, similar to China's WeChat. President Vladimir Putin has promoted Max as a "secure" platform supporting Russia's "technological sovereignty." It has been pre-installed on devices sold in Russia since September but is not available in the European Union. Max does not use end-to-end encryption, and its terms of use state that user data is stored on servers in Russia. Apple and Google have previously removed numerous Russian apps, including those from sanctioned companies. While existing apps continue to function, new downloads and updates are blocked, leading Russian companies to create disguised apps to circumvent bans.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
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