No sooner had Apple dealt with one fine than another, much larger one arrived. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) issued a warning to the company: by July 15, 2026, RuStore and the MAX messenger must be pre-installed on iPhones. If Apple fails to comply, the agency will open an antitrust case, and the subsequent Apple fine could reach 4 billion rubles. Let’s break down what’s happening.
Apple is in trouble again in Russia
Why FAS Wants to Fine Apple 4 Billion Rubles
The agency has two complaints. The first is about the search engine. iPhones come with a foreign search engine set as default, and switching to a Russian one requires manual changes in settings. FAS considers this discrimination against domestic services, since the law requires that technically complex products allow users to choose a search engine from Russia or an EAEU country by default.
The fine is enormous by Russian standards but laughable by Apple’s business standards
The second complaint concerns pre-installation of domestic software: specifically RuStore and the MAX messenger, neither of which is present on iPhones. But an actual FAS fine against Apple is still a long way off — for now, this is only a warning, not a finalized penalty.
Why an iPhone Without RuStore Is Considered Defective
This story has been unfolding for months. Since September 1, 2025, a law has been in effect under which a smartphone without a functioning RuStore is considered a product with a deficiency. Apple is not mentioned by name in the text, but it is the main target: there are virtually no other major vendors left on the market ignoring the Russian app store.
The new Apple fine concerns RuStore pre-installation
Technically, there is no ban on iPhones — there is a requirement that the company either complies with or faces consequences. And against the backdrop of rising iPhone prices in Russia, any new restrictions hit consumers first and foremost. Apple’s problems in Russia are piling up, and this episode is far from the last.
Can Apple Be Fined If It Has Left Russia?
And here’s where things get really interesting. Apple has not officially supplied devices to the country since 2022: the online store is closed, Apple Pay doesn’t work, and some apps have been removed from the App Store. How to pre-install RuStore on devices you don’t officially sell in Russia is a question without an answer.
It appears Apple will once again do nothing about this
Moreover, complying with the FAS requirement would mean Apple violating Western sanctions. The company finds itself caught between two fires: it gets fined in the West for payments to Russia, and fined here for refusing to operate under Russian rules. So whether Apple has been fined in Russia or merely threatened — for Cupertino, it’s all part of one big headache, not a separate catastrophe.
How Will the Apple Fine Affect iPhone Owners in Russia?
It won’t — directly. Your iPhone will continue to work, the App Store will remain in place, and if FAS does collect any money, it will be from Apple itself, not from users. What’s far more unpleasant for us are other initiatives — like SIM card binding to IMEI and a unified database, which will cause many more complications.
For users in Russia, hardly anything will change
As for the July 15 deadline, most likely nothing dramatic will happen: Apple will stay silent, the case will drag on, and we’ll get yet another chapter in the endless saga of Apple fines and Russian regulators.
