Apple removes “Max” from the App Store: stop the Russian super-app wanted by the Kremlin

Apple has removed Max, the Russian state messaging app, from its App Store, as announced by the app’s Russian developers.

For months, Moscow has been pushing the Russians to install Max, a super app without encryption that, according to critics, could be used to track people.

It limited the use of WhatsApp and Telegram, the two most popular messaging apps in the country, and forced public employees, state-owned companies, schools and government agencies to use Max for their communications.

“Max is temporarily unavailable for download on the App Store,” the app said in a statement on its platform. The removal took place on Wednesday evening.

Apple had no comment and the reasons for the removal are unclear. Google has also removed dozens of Russian apps from its online stores, including those developed by companies sanctioned in the West.

Apps already installed on phones in Russia continue to work, but new users cannot download or update them.

The massive removals have set off a cat-and-mouse game in which Russian companies, particularly banks, launch apps disguised as other things – such as accounting software – and then rush to tell their customers to download the new version before it is blocked.

Launched in 2025 byRussian social media giant VK, Max has been compared to China’s WeChat, combining social media and messaging functions with access to government services, a digital ID card system, banking and payment services.

PresidentVladimir Putin presented it as a more “secure” platform that satisfies Russia’s demand for “technological sovereignty”.

It has been pre-installed on phones and tablets 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 exclusively on servers in Russia.