Apple Will Russian Law Offering Government Approved
Apple has agreed to a Russian law requiring pre-installation of government-approved apps on all devices sold in the country, including Mail.ru’s email, social media apps VKontakte and Odnoklassniki, and Kaspersky Lab antivirus software. Android users reportedly won’t get to opt-out, but Apple will prompt users to install the apps upon first use.
One potential sticking point with enforcing the laws was Apples response, the American technology giant, which drags its feet before agreeing last month to provide a way for users to install Russian software at iPhone configuration. Notably, other smartphone makers (including Samsung) did not make the same compromise, meaning that most non-Apple devices sold in Russia come preloaded with the states-sanctioned software. When Apple did, the company successfully reached a compromise which meant customers could pick and choose what Russian apps they wanted to install, instead of having those apps forcefully install what Russian apps customers wanted those apps to.
Apple stopped short of this; suggested apps are not pre-installed, and users have an opportunity to opt out of downloading them. A few weeks ago, reports in government suggested Apple had reached a deal with Russias Digital Affairs Ministry, so it would display a prompt when users set up their devices for the first time, pre-installing Russian apps. According to the Vedomosti report, Apple has reached a deal with Russia to show users a prompt when setting up a device in Russia for the first time to pre-install apps from a list of software approved by the government.
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
| Russian law | In 2021, Russia passed a law requiring smartphones, computers, and smart TVs sold in the country to come pre-installed with government-approved apps. |
| Compliance | Apple announced that it will comply with the new law by offering a selection of government-approved apps in the App Store in Russia. |
| App selection | The government-approved apps that will be available on Apple devices in Russia include antivirus software, messenger apps, and government services apps. |
| User choice | Users will still have the option to download and use any apps they choose, but the pre-installed apps will be the government-approved ones. |
As you can see in the following video, all iPhone and iPad devices sold and activated within the government will show an info screen explaining to users why they are about to receive a list of suggested apps for installing on the device that are in the users possession. When Russian consumers buy iPhones, they will see an info prompt when setting up which urges them to install software developed by Russia. According to The Moscow Times, Apple reportedly is going to begin showing Russian users a dialog when setting up their iPhone, iPad, or Mac to install certain government-approved apps onto their iPhone.
As part of its device-setup procedures, Apple will soon show dialog boxes to iPhone and iPad users in Russia that offer to pre-install approved government apps in order to meet the new laws. According to an agreement, iPhones and iPads that are activated beginning April 1 in Russia will display a new screen for users that offers a selection of apps made by Russian developers. A report published on Tuesday quoted a source at the Russian ministry for digital development and communications, saying customers will have the option of choosing among the selection of apps developed in Russia, which will be installed on the devices.
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Apple devices sold in Russia will ship with Russian-made software approved by the government starting next month, a report published Tuesday suggests. Apple has reportedly agreed to display a prompt when users first configure the device in Russia for the preinstalling of government-approved apps, according to the Vedomosti report.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law Dec. 2 that requires foreign smart devices sold in the Kremlin come pre-installed with a list of Russian apps approved by the government. MOSCOW (Reuters) – Smart phones, computers and other devices purchased in Russia will have to come pre-installed with Russian software, following legislation taking effect Thursday, in a move aimed at helping Russian IT firms compete with their foreign peers. More concretely, though, the legislation poses a significant challenge for Apple, which does not allow third-party apps to come pre-installed on Apple devices.
It is predictable the tech giant might pull out from Kremlin entirely instead of setting the precedent that allows the countrys government to put third-party apps onto iPhones. Broadly deploying apps by Russian developers could lead to expanded access by the government to Russian users data and personal information, or even situations in which Russia monitors which devices are using specific apps, and which ones have removed them. Apps from Russian developers are not developed by Russia specifically, but the Kremlin, like many authoritarian governments, has broad access to the iPhone ecosystem controlled by Apple.
The legislation at issue has become known as the “law on Apple,” as it is effectively daring Apple to withdraw entirely from Russias market, instead of changing rules in the companys controlled iPhone ecosystem.
A 2016 Russian court ruling led Apple and Google to pull LinkedIn off the Apple App Store, because LinkedIn had failed to follow a law that required data on Russian users be stored within the borders of the country. Ukrainian officials have pressed Apple and Google to block access to its app stores entirely within Russia as well.
As early voters headed to the polls this morning, Apple and Google have been bending to Russian demands and have removed apps from opposition leader Alexei Navalny. As the polls opened this morning in Russia for the three-day vote to elect a new parliament, Apple and Google succumbed to the Russian governments intensifying pressure campaign and deleted opposition leader Alexei Navalnys app from their respective app stores. At the meeting, representatives of Apple and Google faced furious questions from Russian lawmakers, and later in the day, Russias Foreign Ministry spokesman threatened to implement an unspecified barrier on American businesses in Russia if the technology companies continued to refuse to remove the app from opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
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The legislation at issue would punish and fine any seller of uncompliant computers and smartphones, not the manufacturers that produce uncompliant computers and smartphones–unless, of course, a company is also selling its products directly to Russia, like Apple. Apples plans would still leave plenty of room for users to delete the apps mandated by the government, but pushing these through the installation process would inevitably lead to the wide proliferation of Russian-selected software.
Did Apple put sanctions on Russia?
In order to comply with US economic sanctions, Apple withdrew Apple Pay services and voluntarily stopped hardware sales in Russia in March of last year. The Ukrainian government urged Apple to take action even further and halt all App Store sales in Russia. The Cupertino business decided against doing so.
Will Apple stop supporting Russia?
ARGENTINA – Analysts claim that because of Apple’s decision to cease selling its devices in Russia, other smartphone manufacturers are under pressure to follow suit. The decision was made public by Apple on Tuesday along with a number of other responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.