Apple Facing Russian Investigation Into Alleged Monopolistic App Store Behavior

Russia's FAS, or Federal Antimonopoly Service, has launched a formal investigation into Apple over alleged violation of antitrust laws about the App Store and Apple's restrictions that do not allow developers to link to third-party payment methods outside of the platform.

app store blue banner russia
In August, FAS issued a warning to Apple to "stop violating antimonopoly legislation" by not inhibiting developers from directing users to make in-app purchases from outside the ‌App Store‌, such as on the web. Apple "did not comply with the warning," according to a press release from the agency, and therefore a case has been opened against Apple on the grounds of violating antitrust laws.

"If Apple is found to be in violation of the Competition Law, it could face a turnover penalty on the amount of market revenue," the agency added. FAS stopped short of specifying how much a fine would be or under what timeframe.

Apple is no stranger to being scrutinized in Russia and by the FAS. This past April, the Cupertino tech giant was fined $12 million for violating anti-monopoly rules with the ‌App Store‌. Just a month earlier, Apple had agreed to comply with the Russian government's request that users be shown government-approved apps to download during initial device setup.

Apple has already announced steps it plans to take early next year to ease ‌App Store‌ restrictions. As part of a deal to close an investigation in Japan, Apple announced in September that it would allow "reader" apps to link to external websites in their apps. These links to external websites can help users set up or manage an account.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...
applecare apple care banner

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

iPhone Driver's License Feature Launching in Illinois

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:47 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois. The announcement confirmed that the...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16 Wi-Fi Speeds: New Study Reveals the Winner

Tuesday November 18, 2025 10:53 am PST by
A new study has revealed that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air achieve significantly faster average Wi-Fi speeds compared to the iPhone 16 series, thanks to Apple's custom-designed N1 chip. The study was conducted by Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest website and app. It said the results are based on global, crowdsourced Speedtest user data...
ipad mini 7 feature red and blue

iPad Mini 8: Four Major New Features to Expect

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:50 am PST by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features. OLED Display The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
macbook black friday

The Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals

Tuesday November 18, 2025 7:32 am PST by
We're getting closer to Black Friday, which lands next week on Friday, November 28. In the lead-up to the shopping holiday, we're tracking a few lowest-ever prices on Apple's most popular Macs, including the M4 MacBook Air and brand new M5 MacBook Pro. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
best early black friday deals

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Magic Keyboard Touch ID Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for 140W USB-C Power Adapter, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad

Tuesday November 18, 2025 1:05 pm PST by
Apple today released updated firmware for several accessories, including the 140W USB-C Power Adapter, the Magic Trackpad 2, the Magic Trackpad USB-C, the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad. There is no word on what's included in the updated firmware at this time, but it could offer performance improvements and security updates. Accessory...

Top Rated Comments

BootsWalking Avatar
53 months ago
Apple is running out of countries that don't find its business practices anti-competitive.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ksec Avatar
53 months ago
Adding Russia to the list of market Apple should pulled out as suggested by MR comments.

So it is now, EU, UK, AUS, Japan, South Korea, India, Russia

In case anyone wondering why US is missing. Yes, US is the only country with an on going AntiTrust threat or cases that MR wont suggest pulling out of.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cosmichobo Avatar
53 months ago
Kind of ironic...
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Adarna Avatar
53 months ago
This is how govts get big tech to compromise their user's privacy. Pressure them on one front and promise to lay off when they capitulate.

Taken another way any company must comply with the lawful orders of govt or else withdraw from that market like what Google did in China ('https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/12/19/138307/how-google-took-on-china-and-lost/').
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wildkraut Avatar
53 months ago

Hang on weren’t governments supposed to be providing infrastructure for society but were too incompetent or corrupt to do so and left it to corporate interests? Now they’re throwing in post-hoc regulation as an “oh yeah that” afterthought and pocketing a metric **** ton of cash from fining the corporates.

We can still choose the corporates we use and there is no monopoly I can think of other than government incompetence and greed.

UK here for ref.
It’s also the government’s obligation to enforce competition and keep the economy running stable and healthy now and farer in the future.

This is not only about Russia, Apple is running aground in the whole world. They can’t escape this, and moving out of a country here and there is not an option too.
Specially since they are being hunt in their own country.

Apple IS acting anticompetitive, simply as that… same for Google… both in their different ways.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sandstorm Avatar
53 months ago
You've got a nice App Store here. Some opposition apps still remaining.
It would be a shame if something happened to it.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)