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Apple Confirms Removal of Russian Government Linked Max App Over Western Sanctions
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US technology company Apple has confirmed that the Russian messaging application Max was removed from the App Store due to Western sanctions.
The company provided the explanation in a comment to the Russian service of the BBC on June 5.
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Apple said it complies with the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which it operates and that the Max messenger was removed from the App Store in accordance with sanctions compliance requirements.
The company did not specify which sanctions prompted the decision.
Several days earlier, on June 3, Apple has removed the Russian state-backed messaging platform Max from the App Store, preventing new users from downloading the application.
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VK, the developer of the government-linked messenger, confirmed the removal, stating that the app is no longer available through Apple’s digital marketplace.
According to the company, users who had already installed Max on their devices will still be able to use the service without interruption. VK said it had requested clarification from Apple and was seeking a swift resolution to the issue. In the meantime, users were advised to obtain the application through alternative app stores or directly from the official Max website.
The removal of Max marks the second recent case involving a VK-linked service. In April, Apple also removed Telega, a Telegram-based application operating through VK infrastructure, after Cloudflare flagged two of its domains over spyware concerns before later reversing the designation following an appeal from the developers.
Concerns that Max could function as a surveillance tool emerged well before its removal from the App Store. Earlier independent examinations of the application’s code reportedly identified more than a dozen concealed features, including capabilities related to remote microphone access, collection of users’ contact data, detection of VPN usage, and the ability to delete messages from devices without user interaction.
Since September 2025, Max has been preinstalled on all newly sold smartphones in Russia and has been actively promoted by authorities as a domestic alternative to WhatsApp following the platform’s blocking in February 2026.
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