I’ve already written quite a bit about what happens if you install MAX on Android, but the questions from readers keep coming. Now I’ll address the reverse situation: what to do if you’ve already installed or discovered MAX on your smartphone and are wondering whether to get rid of it. I’ll answer honestly, without rampant paranoia and without excessive loyalty to the government messenger that sometimes appears in media.

Figuring out what to do with the MAX messenger

Why Your Phone Has MAX Installed

If you bought a new smartphone in Russia and found the MAX messenger on it — it’s not a coincidence and not the manufacturer’s initiative. Since 2025, MAX has been included in the list of mandatory apps that must be pre-installed on all smartphones officially sold in Russia.

MAX on a new smartphone is not the manufacturer's choice, but a requirement of Russian legislation.

If you bought a Samsung, Xiaomi, HONOR, HUAWEI, or any other brand that officially sells smartphones in Russia, they are required to pre-install MAX. They cannot refuse. That’s why a phone with MAX installed is now practically every new Android smartphone purchased in a Russian store.

What Is the MAX Messenger For

To understand whether it’s worth deleting the MAX app, you first need to understand what it is. In short: it’s a government messenger from VK, created as a Russian alternative to Telegram and WhatsApp (owned by Meta, which has been designated as extremist and banned in Russia).

According to its creators, the messenger should be used by nearly every Russian citizen

The popularity of MAX on Android is largely driven not by the quality of the product, but by external factors. Telegram is blocked, and WhatsApp, whose parent company Meta is designated as extremist and banned in Russia, is too. Government-backed MAX is included in so-called white lists of the internet — a list of services that continue to work even during network restrictions. This is what makes it sometimes the only working communication tool in Russia during restriction periods.

MAX works when Telegram is blocked.

An additional argument in favor of MAX is its integration with Gosuslugi (Government Services) and Sferum. For schoolchildren, students, and those who regularly interact with government services, MAX has already become a necessity rather than an option.

What Are the Dangers of the MAX Messenger

This is where we need to separate myths from real risks.

Many people are afraid of MAX, and not without reason

Myths that are not confirmed:

  • Does MAX read messages in real time? No, there is no documented evidence of this.
  • Does MAX block Telegram? No, blocking is handled by Roskomnadzor, not MAX developers.
  • Does MAX turn on the camera and microphone in the background? Not confirmed. On the contrary, the national messenger recently stopped being classified as spyware.

Real risks that are documented:

  • MAX tracks whether a VPN is being used on the device and transmits this data to servers;
  • the app establishes connections with Telegram and Google servers — presumably to analyze the effectiveness of blocks;
  • the privacy policy explicitly provides for data transfer to third parties, including government agencies upon request;
  • messages are stored on Russian servers without end-to-end encryption in regular chats.

The downsides of the MAX messenger from a technical standpoint also exist: regular outages of the national messenger, functionality inferior to Telegram, and an interface at a 2015 level. The disadvantages of MAX are well known to those who use it: the app is frankly unpolished for a product with such a forced audience.

MAX doesn't read your messages in real time, but it knows you're using a VPN.

The danger of MAX is real but specific: it’s not a virus threat to your device, but data collection about your network activity. If you use a VPN, MAX knows about it and reports it where needed. This is important to understand.

Can You Delete MAX from Your Phone

Don’t worry: MAX is easily removed from your phone

Yes, you can. Despite the mandatory pre-installation requirement, there is no law prohibiting a user from deleting MAX from their phone. The manufacturer is required to pre-install the app, but the user is not obligated to anyone.

Mandatory pre-installation is a requirement for the manufacturer, not a prohibition on removal.

Removing MAX from your phone is technically straightforward. The method depends on how the app appeared on your device. On most smartphones where MAX is in the downloadable mandatory apps folder, it can be completely removed using standard tools.

Should You Delete MAX on Your Android Phone

The honest answer: it all depends on your circumstances. Whether you should delete MAX is not a universal question.

It all depends on your personal preferences

Keep MAX if:

  • you use it to communicate with people who aren’t on Telegram;
  • you need a messenger that works during internet restrictions;
  • you use Gosuslugi, Sferum, or other government services through MAX;
  • you’re not concerned about VPN activity tracking.

Delete MAX if:

  • you don’t use it and don’t plan to;
  • you’re concerned about network activity tracking;
  • you regularly use a VPN and don’t want that information disclosed.