Apple removes multiple VPN apps from the App Store in Russia, here’s why

App Store

Since Russia’s ongoing full-scale assault on Ukraine, Apple has significantly scaled back its operations in the country. The Cupertino-based tech giant has suspended all product sales and limited many of its native services. However, Apple’s App Store is still functional in Russia, amid criticism from several countries for complying with the Russian government.

Now, in an interesting development, the App Censorship Project found that more than 60 apps, including some of the best VPN (Virtual Private Network) services on the market, were silently removed by Apple between early July and September 18, 2024. Another investigation from anti-censorship advocacy group GreatFire reveals, that Apple has barred over 20% of known VPN apps from being available in Russia.

Surprisingly, these removals far exceed the 25 VPN apps that Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, reported in July this year. While a total VPN ban is not being currently enforced in Russia, the loss of so many VPN apps concerns those in Russia trying to gain access to social media platforms or non-Russian news sources.

It is also possible that Apple likely removed these VPN apps to comply with Russia’s stringent internet laws, which require many tech companies to cooperate with local censorship efforts. However, the tech giant faces a dilemma to comply with Russian authorities in the future or pull the plug on its services, like Google did with YouTube last year.

Currently, Apple has complied with China’s VPN ban and has deleted multiple communication apps such as Threads, WhatsApp, and Signal in the country. In total, Apple has banned 5,600 App Store apps in China.