Russia is making a big move in its tech strategy. The government now requires all new smartphones and tablets sold in the country to come with a state-backed messaging app called MAX already installed. This new rule kicks in on September 1st.
This means MAX will join a special list of apps that must be on every device, from phones to tablets. The goal is for MAX to work closely with various government services. It’s part of a broader effort to promote domestic software.
Other Russian apps are also part of this push. RuStore, the country’s own app marketplace, will also be mandatory. For smart TVs, a state television app called LIME HD TV must be pre-installed starting January 1st of next year.
Some people have worried that MAX might be a spy tool. However, state media has called these claims false. They argue that MAX actually needs less access to user data than popular apps like WhatsApp and Telegram.
This change comes after Russia began limiting calls on WhatsApp and Telegram earlier in August. Authorities accused these foreign-owned apps of not sharing user data. They claimed this data was needed for investigations into fraud and terrorism cases. Both WhatsApp and Telegram have denied these accusations. It’s interesting to note that even though Telegram is often grouped with foreign apps, its owner is Russian.