Google Play Store removes Russia's super-app MAX and other VK apps

The Russian super-app MAX, developed by VKontakte (VK), has been removed from the Google Play Store, along with several other VK applications. VK, a major Russian social media company, announced the removals on Thursday and advised its users to migrate to its new domain, vk.ru. The company stated that the new domain offers faster loading and better performance, while assuring users that all features and design elements remain the same. This action by Google follows a similar move in June when Apple's App Store also removed several VK apps, including MAX. The company and Russian authorities criticized these decisions. Google Play has also delisted other Russian-owned applications, such as Kaspersky antivirus and official apps from several Russian banks. These app store actions occur in the context of European Union sanctions imposed on VK and its parent company, citing the app's extensive surveillance features used for "repressive actions against users criticizing Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine or posting other content banned by authorities." Russia had previously throttled popular messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, while mandating civil servants and state entities to use MAX for communications. MAX is often compared to China's WeChat for its integrated social media, messaging, government services, and payment functions.

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All features, apps and the design of VKontakte on vk.ru remain the same. However, due to technical reasons, vk.ru is always accessible and also loads and works faster than vk.com.