- Apple removed the state-backed MAX app from its App Store to comply with international sanctions.
- While the app still functions for existing users, Apple has cut off push notifications for calls and messages.
- The Kremlin has aggressively pushed MAX as a mandatory ‘national messenger’ to centralize domestic digital communications
Apple has removed Russia’s state-backed MAX Messenger from the App Store.
Russian users first reported the app’s disappearance on the evening of Wednesday, June 3, as it vanished from App Store search results and direct download links.
The developer behind MAX later confirmed to the state-run news agency TASS that the application is no longer available for download. Independent local sources have also verified that the platform remains unavailable on iOS devices.
While the MAX app continues to function normally for users who already have it installed, the developer confirmed that these users will no longer receive push notifications for incoming messages and calls.
In a statement, Apple confirmed it removed the MAX app from the App Store in accordance with sanctions compliance rules.
The tech giant noted that it operates in compliance with the laws of the jurisdictions where it does business, though it did not specify which exact sanctions triggered the enforcement.
TechRadar has contacted Apple for further comment on the removal, and we will update this page as soon as we receive a response.
What is MAX Messenger?
Developed by tech giant VK — the company behind Mail.ru and the VKontakte social network — MAX launched March 2025 as a state-approved alternative to WhatsApp and Telegram.
From the outset, the Kremlin made it clear that the super-app was destined to become an essential part of citizens’ digital life.
In June 2025, President Vladimir Putin signed a law establishing MAX as a “national multifunctional messenger.” By September, the software became a mandatory pre-install on all new smartphones and tablets sold in Russia.
As Russia’s internet regulator Roskomnadzor intensifies its throttling and disruption of foreign platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram, citizens increasingly turned to MAX. Previously, Telegram was one of the few global platforms accessible without a VPN.
Digital rights and security experts, however, have warned of its “enormous surveillance potential” since the launch of MAX.
More recently, the US infrastructure giant Cloudflare flagged MAX as “spyware,” though the label was later removed, according to independent Russian news outlet Meduza.
Other technical analyses has suggested that MAX can detect whether users have a VPN connection enabled, alongside other invasive tools to spy on users’ activities.
MAX has strongly rejected allegations that the app can spy on its users.
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chiara.castro@futurenet.com (Chiara Castro)
