Putin takes action against Apple

New legislation signed by the president mandates that the tech giant allow Russia’s RuStore app onto iOS devices

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Monday requiring smartphone makers to support RuStore, the state-run app marketplace, on their devices. The move mainly impacts Apple due to its closed iOS system.

The new law, an amendment to the country’s Consumer Protection Law, expands rules on preinstalled apps, barring manufacturers from limiting functions such as payments, search, updates, or settings.

The amendments mainly target Apple, whose devices are known for strict software restrictions. Last year, the EU forced the company to allow the installation of a third-party program marketplace app on iOS devices sold across member states. Currently, it is impossible to install RuStore on an iOS device without resorting to workarounds.

The changes affect to a lesser extent manufacturers of Android-based smartphones. While such companies as Samsung, Huawei, Honor, and the others currently do not ship their devices with RuStore preinstalled, the app can be easily installed on them and appears to function without any limitations.  

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Moscow first rolled out its list of mandatory Russian-made software for electronic devices back in 2019. The move has been  bemoaned by smartphone makers, who argue that making Russian software mandatory could lead to a decrease in business activity in the consumer electronics and software markets and ultimately to the monopolization of the market.