Apple Explained Why It Removed the Russian App VK from the App Store
Apple confirmed that it had removed apps from the Russian holding company VK from the App Store, citing the need to comply with sanctions regulations and the laws of the jurisdictions in which the company operates. The decision affected several popular services at once, which disappeared from the App Store in late June.
VK states that it did not receive any warnings and considers Apple’s actions to be unilateral; however, the American company insists that it is acting strictly within the bounds of applicable legal restrictions.
On June 25, a wide range of apps belonging to the Russian holding company VK disappeared from the App Store, including the social networks “VKontakte” and “Odnoklassniki,” as well as the services “Zen,” VK Video, VK Music, VK Messenger, Mail, and VK Dating. At the same time, users also lost access to downloads of a number of other products within the company’s ecosystem.
Apple confirmed that the removal was related to the need to comply with sanctions requirements and operating rules in the various jurisdictions where the company operates. However, the company did not specify which sanctions regimes served as the basis for this move, limiting itself to a general explanation regarding compliance with the law.
The Russian company VK stated that the decision was made without warning and unilaterally, emphasizing that the company itself is allegedly not on any sanctions lists. Representatives of the holding company emphasized that the removal of the apps makes it difficult for users to access services used by millions of people.
This is not the first such incident: on June 3, the state-run messaging app Max, developed by VK, disappeared from the App Store, and at that time, Apple also explained its decision by citing compliance with sanctions regulations. In fact, the company continues to restrict access to certain Russian digital products in accordance with global regulatory requirements.
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