Have you heard? ⚡️ The Max messenger vanished from the App Store. You can't find it through search, can't update it — error. VK officially confirmed: the app has been removed.

I've been saying this day in and day out. We're tying everything to this messenger: government services, schools, banning others. There are no banks in the App Store, but Max was still around. I said: sooner or later they'll pull it. And here we are.

Why did this happen right now?

Look at how it played out. Apple took its sweet time conceding, didn’t fully enforce sanctions, and allowed Russian users to pay for subscriptions through mobile. Sanctions banned payment with Russian cards, but Apple left this loophole for our people. Everyone was happy. We paid, apps worked, Max was in the store.

Then Russian authorities banned residents from paying through Apple’s mobile service for everything in the App Store: subscriptions, apps, in-app purchases. And first and foremost, it was our own iPhone users who took the hit. Apple completely lost the Russian market. They’ve got nothing left to lose now. That’s why they decided to pull Max. Those are my thoughts; maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that’s exactly why it happened.

What’s next? Are they gonna ban iPhones in Russia?

It's getting ridiculous. Are we going to ban Russians from buying iPhones tomorrow? What about those who already have them? Sooner or later the app will stop working. Memory will get full, the system won’t update — and that’s it. Can't update through the App Store anymore. There are no other ways.

Sure, you could install it through a cable from VK. Or through someone else’s Apple ID. Or like some banks do — using 'workarounds'. But that’s inconvenient, tough, and not for regular folks. And for government services, that's not gonna cut it.

And what about Android? Not exactly a gift either.

You might say, 'On Android it’s easy — just download the file from the site.' Sure, but Max can be pulled from Google Play too. But you can still download the APK file separately. And here lies the major issue.

Where are you gonna get that? There will be a ton of fake sites with malware. People, unaware, will install the virus, enter all their data — and that's it. Because if the messenger is tied to government services, passports, or SNILS, a mistake can cost a fortune.

Bottom line: you can’t control someone else’s assets — you gotta build your own.

We’re trying to control what doesn’t belong to us. Apple isn’t ours, Google isn’t ours, app stores aren’t ours. And at any moment, we can just be kicked out.

Yeah, we need our own phone. Our own operating system. Our own app store. Can you believe that after all these years Russia couldn’t produce its own phone? We can already manufacture many components. There are a lot of talented folks out there. Sure, we could have been assembling using our Chinese friends’ factories, but gradually we need to bring the tech back home.

We should've started 20 years ago. By now we could have our own payment systems, our own store, and our own secure software that no one could just nuke with a click in Cupertino.

How many people will get wrecked if iPhones are banned?

Let’s break it down. Millions of folks, not just half, have iPhones. If they start banning them (and the logic after Max’s removal points in that direction), these people will have to buy new phones. That’s a huge financial hit. And the worst part — Android won’t save anyone. Its store can get cleaned out too, and dodgy APK files are a breeding ground for viruses and data leaks.

So what’s the outcome?

This isn’t just about removing a messenger. It’s a signal. Sanction and digital pressure are escalating. We tried to build a national messenger on someone else’s platform — and we lost.

The government needs to hear the voices of businesses and everyday folks. They should make laws not based on 'who needs what,' but on what the country really needs. And the country needs its own hardware and software. Without that, we’ll always be at the mercy of those who can cut us off at any moment.

We're gonna keep an eye on things. But for now, the news is looking really bearish. And this is just the beginning.

Author: Yan Krivonosov