It looks like MAX on iPhones is done for good. For several days, Apple flatly refused to explain why it removed the messenger from the App Store, and when it finally spoke up, things didn’t get any easier: the company’s response directly implies that there’s no point waiting for the app to return.
Apple explained why MAX was removed from the App Store
Why Apple Removed MAX from the App Store
On June 3, MAX disappeared from the App Store across all regional stores simultaneously. For several days, Cupertino maintained silence, while the messenger’s press service only confirmed that it had sent a request asking for an explanation.
And then Apple’s response appeared: in a conversation with BBC, the company stated that it complies with the laws of the jurisdictions in which it operates. In simpler terms, the removal was linked to sanctions. The subtlety is that Apple didn’t specify exactly which sanctions were involved. There’s no specific list or authority that imposed them in the response. But the wording itself matters more than the details: the reason was called not technical, but legal. And that changes the entire picture.
Will MAX Return to the App Store
This is where the main news lies. A technical complaint — like a controversial feature or a rule violation — can be resolved with an update and the app can be returned to the catalog. With sanctions, that won’t work: as long as the restriction is in effect, Apple simply doesn’t have the right to keep the app in the store. This means waiting for MAX to return to the App Store is pointless, at least until the sanctions themselves are lifted.
There are serious doubts that MAX will come back
The story, by the way, isn’t unique. For the same reasons, VK services disappeared from the App Store back in 2022, and they never came back. So MAX has exactly the same prospects.
Will MAX Continue to Work on iPhone
Those who already have the messenger installed don’t need to panic: the app hasn’t gone anywhere and continues to work. But there are two unpleasant consequences. First, notifications for messages and calls are no longer coming through — push notifications broke along with the removal. Second, there won’t be any more updates either; new versions won’t appear in the App Store.
No more updates. Unless they find a loophole
The main takeaway: don’t delete the app if you need it. Your conversations won’t disappear if you delete it, but you won’t be able to install MAX back on your iPhone — it’s simply not in the App Store anymore. Switching the Apple ID region won’t solve the problem now either: the app was removed from all stores, not just the Russian one.
If MAX is needed on a new device, Android remains an option: the messenger is available there through RuStore, Google Play, and AppGallery, plus the web version and the project’s official website work as well.
