Russia Demands Apple Pre-Install Domestic Apps, Faces Fines If Not Compliant by July 15
Taylor Wilson
Russia's antitrust agency gave Apple a deadline of July 15 to pre-install local apps on its devices or face fines up to $51.6 million — but Apple stopped selling products in Russia back in 2022.
What exactly is Russia demanding?
Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) ruled that Apple engages in "discriminatory practices" against local software.
The order: Apple must pre-install Russian search engines and the messaging app Max on its devices.
This means → Moscow wants users to see local apps the moment they turn on an Apple device, not just Apple's own ecosystem.
What happens if Apple refuses?
If Apple fails to comply by the July 15 deadline, it faces fines of up to 4 billion rubles (roughly $51.6 million).
In plain terms = the dollar amount is small relative to Apple's scale, but the signal is clear: Russia is tightening local-software mandates on foreign tech giants.
Will Apple actually comply?
Apple officially stopped selling and exporting products to Russia in March 2022; it has effectively exited the market.
Apple has not publicly responded to the order.
This means → a company that no longer sells products in a country is being told to pre-install that country's software — the compliance path itself is deeply uncertain, creating a practical contradiction.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.