Apple removes Russia’s state-backed messenger from app store

Apple has removed Russia’s state-backed Max messenger from its App Store, according to the app’s Russian developers. The developers said the app became unavailable for download on Wednesday night, adding that it was still missing from the store as of Thursday, June 4.

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“Max is temporarily unavailable for download in the App Store,” the messenger said in a statement on its platform. There has been no official comment from Apple, and the reason for the removal has not been disclosed.

Moscow has in recent months been encouraging widespread adoption of Max, a super-app that lacks end-to-end encryption and has drawn criticism over potential state surveillance concerns, while simultaneously restricting access to WhatsApp and Telegram, Russia’s two most widely used messaging platforms.

Authorities have also directed civil servants, state companies, schools and government agencies to shift communications onto the platform. Max, launched in 2025 by Russian social media company VK, is designed as a “super-app” combining messaging, social media, government services, digital ID functions, banking and payments, and has been compared to China’s WeChat.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously described it as a more “secure” platform aligned with Russia’s goal of “technological sovereignty.”

The app has been pre-installed on devices sold in Russia since September, although it is not available in the European Union. Max does not use end-to-end encryption, and its terms state that user data is stored exclusively on servers within Russia.