Russia opens case against Apple over pre-installation of domestic apps
The agency said Apple faces a 4 billion ruble fine after it failed to fully pre-install Kremlin-sanctioned apps on iPhones and iPads.
- On Monday, Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service launched a formal antitrust investigation into Apple, citing the company's failure to fully enable pre-installation of the Kremlin-sanctioned messaging service Max and the domestic app store RuStore.
- Regulators initiated the probe after Apple missed a July 15 compliance deadline to integrate required local software; while the company updated software to permit a Russian search engine, officials claim it failed to include other mandated tools.
- The Federal Antimonopoly Service warned that the investigation could result in administrative penalties of up to 4 billion rubles for noncompliance with local software requirements.
- Apple previously informed the regulator that software updates allowed users to pre-install a Russian search engine, but the FAS contends this partial compliance falls short of legal requirements for devices sold within the country.
- This dispute mirrors past enforcement actions against Western tech firms like Google, which faced astronomical fines for refusing to reinstate pro-Kremlin accounts, as competition authorities in several countries review similar complaints against Apple.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Apple faces new antitrust case in Russia over state-backed apps
Russia has escalated its long-running dispute with Apple by opening an antitrust case that could cost the iPhone maker nearly $50 million over its refusal to preload state-backed apps.Russia opens antitrust case against Apple over iPhone appsAfter years of threatening to do so, Russia has finally begun investigating Apple after it failed to preinstall state-backed apps onto devices in the country. The apps in question are Max, a state-backed mes…
Apple had previously expelled Russian "national" mixer Max from her app store, denying access to it to some 20 million Russians.
Russia Opens Antitrust Case Against Apple Over App Preinstallation Rules
Russia’s Federal Anti-Monopoly Service has opened a case against Apple for allegedly refusing to preinstall the state-backed messaging app Max and domestic app store RuStore on its devices, the regulator said.
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