Russia orders state-backed WhatsApp rival pre-installed on phones, tablets

MOSCOW (Reuters): Russia said on Thursday that all mobile phones and tablets sold in the country from next month must come pre-installed with MAX, a state-backed messaging app positioned as a rival to WhatsApp but criticized by opponents as a potential surveillance tool.

The decision to promote MAX comes as Moscow is seeking greater control over the internet space as it is locked in a standoff with the West over Ukraine, which it casts as part of an attempt to shape a new world order.

The Russian government said in a statement that MAX, which will be integrated with government services, would be on a list of mandatory pre-installed apps on all “gadgets,” including mobile phones and tablets, sold in Russia from Sept. 1.

State media says accusations from Kremlin critics that MAX is a spying app are false and that it has fewer permissions to access user data than rivals WhatsApp and Telegram.

It will also be mandatory that from Sept. 1, Russia’s domestic app store, RuStore, which is pre-installed on all Android devices, will be pre-installed on Apple devices.

A Russian-language TV app called LIME HD TV, which allows people to watch state TV channels for free, will be pre-installed on all smart TVs sold in Russia from Jan. 1, the government added.

The push to promote homegrown apps comes after Russia said this month it had started restricting some calls on WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, and on Telegram, accusing the foreign-owned platforms of failing to share information with law enforcement in fraud and terrorism cases.

WhatsApp, which in July had a reach of 97.3 million in Russia, responded by accusing Moscow of trying to block Russians from accessing secure communications, while Telegram, which had a reach of 90.8 million users, said it actively combats the harmful use of its platform.

The third most popular messenger app in July, according to Mediascope data, was VK Messenger at 17.9 million people, an offering from the same state-controlled tech company VK, which developed MAX.

MAX said this week that 18 million users had downloaded its app, parts of which are still in a testing phase.

Russia’s Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that MAX was safer than foreign rivals, but that it had arrested a suspect in the first fraud case using the new messenger.