WhatsApp's Russian rival will be on all phones sold in the country

The Russian government requires that, starting September 1, brands and companies selling cell phones and tablets in the country pre-install the Russian state-backed messaging app MAX.

As Reuters reports, MAX is integrated into Russian government services and has been accused of spying on users. In addition to MAX, the Russian app store RuStore will also be required to be pre-installed on iPhones and iPads, whereas until now it was only pre-installed on Android phones.

This measure by the Russian government comes shortly after encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram were partially restricted in Russia. Russia's internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, accused the two apps of posing a security risk to Russians.

"According to security authorities and multiple appeals from citizens, the foreign messaging apps Telegram and WhatsApp have become the main voice services used to scam and extort money, as well as to involve Russian citizens in sabotage and terrorist activities," reads the Roskomnadzor statement, which the publication had access to.

Furthermore, the regulator notes that it made several attempts to contact both WhatsApp and Telegram so that action could be taken and that such contacts “were ignored by the service owners” .

For its part, a WhatsApp representative stated that the encrypted messaging application “challenges the [Russian] government’s attempts to violate citizens’ rights to secure communications” and claims that this is the reason why Russia “is trying to block [WhatsApp] for more than 100 million Russians” .

It's worth remembering that WhatsApp isn't the only Meta service to face restrictions in Russia. Both Facebook and Instagram have been officially blocked in the country since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022.

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