All as part of a new law coming into effect on April 1

Mar 16, 2021 16:02 GMT  ·  By

iPhones already come with a series of pre-installed apps belonging to Apple, but in Russia, the smartphones will be sold with even more apps, this time developed by third-party companies.

And it’s all thanks to a new law that’s reportedly coming into effect on April 1 and requiring all device makers to pre-load their devices with domestic alternatives to the most popular apps, such as email apps, browsers, and security software.

So phones sold in Russia will hit the shelves with one more email client, most likely the Mail.ru app, Kaspersky security software, and apps to connect to local social networks, such as VKontakte.

Letting users choose what they want

Oleg Nikolayev, one of the officials who created the law banning devices not equipped with Russian software, said in 2020 the purpose of the bill was to provide local customers with the power to choose what apps they want to use on their devices.

“When we buy complex electronic devices, they already have individual applications, mostly Western ones, pre-installed on them,” he was quoted as saying.

“Naturally, when a person sees them... they might think that there are no domestic alternatives available. And if, alongside pre-installed applications, we will also offer the Russian ones to users, then they will have a right to choose.”

Apple hasn’t provided any comments on the new law, but obviously, the company has no other option than to comply with these requirements. The change will come into force in two weeks, so the first iPhones hitting the shelves with Russian software are just around the corner.

At the same time, all Android devices will have to comply with the same requirements, so the likes of Samsung and others will also have to pre-load Russian software on their phones.