Russia demands that Apple preinstall a Russian search engine by default

Russia’s federal anti-monopoly service (FAS) has ordered Apple to have a Russian search engine like Yandex or Mail.ru set as the default search engine on all Apple devices sold in Russia or the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

According to a letter signed by FAS Director Maxim Shaskolsky, obtained by Russia’s state-sponsored press agency TASS, Apple is violating consumer protection rules that require electronic devices, like smartphones, to have a search engine from Russia or the EAEU preinstalled.

According to Russia’s competition supervisor, this currently isn’t the case. Instead, local providers face “unequal competitive conditions,” which is a violation of consumers’ rights.

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“At present, on devices sold in the territory of Russia, this capability without additional setup is provided to a search engine whose country of origin is not Russia or another EAEU member state. Under these circumstances, due to Apple Inc.’s actions, a search engine originating in Russia or other EAEU countries may face unequal competitive conditions compared to another engine enabled by default, which may subsequently infringe on the rights of an undefined group of consumers, depriving them of the ability to exercise their rights," the letter says.

Apple has until October 31st to comply with the competition regulator’s demands or face penalties.

Russia’s Ministry of Digital Affairs also sent a letter to Apple, threatening the company with “serious consequences” if it fails to comply with the FAS requirements.

The department mentions Google, which had similar problems in the past because it offered Google Search as the default search engine on Android devices. By offering users the option to choose the search engine of their choice, Google fulfilled its regulatory requirements.

This isn’t the first clash between Apple and Russian authorities. In 2024, Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor demanded that Apple remove numerous VPN applications from its App Store because they were allegedly used to circumvent state-imposed censorship.

According to GreatFire, a non-profit interest group that strives for freedom of online information, Apple expelled dozens of VPN apps that year.

Benjamin Ismail, Director of the App Censorship Project at GreatFire, called this a “direct threat to digital freedom and privacy.”

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