MAX channel views plummet after state-backed messaging platform removed from Apple App Store

Channels hosted by Russia’s state-backed “super app” MAX have seen significant drops in viewership since the app was deleted from Apple’s App Store two weeks ago, independent investigative outlet Mozhem Obyasnit (MO) reported on Tuesday.

Having examined the channels of various pro-Kremlin commentators, informal “Z” news outlets and traditional Russian media in the period 4–20 June, MO discovered that each one saw a notable drop in views after the app’s removal, ranging from 24.4% to nearly 90%.

Russian war correspondent and propagandist Alexander Kots suffered the greatest fall in views on his MAX channel, going from 3.8 million to just 462,000, with other prominent commentators also recording large falls. Media outlets, including state-owned news agency RIA Novosti and breaking news outlet Mash, saw their views on MAX shrink by around half.

Although the MAX app remains accessible for iPhone users who downloaded it prior to its removal from the App Store, MO noted that users would no longer receive push notifications about posts, messages, or phone calls on MAX, further reducing the number of users opening the app on a regular basis.

Apple removed MAX from its App Store on 3 June, preventing iPhone users from downloading or updating the app. A spokesperson for Apple told BBC News Russian that the app had been delisted in order to comply with sanctions, but did not specify which specific sanctions had triggered the decision.

In April, a domain linked to MAX was flagged as spyware by Cloudflare, the internet’s largest provider of hosting and security services, following reports that the app came loaded with malware designed to detect whether a device is connected to a virtual private network (VPN).

A similar flag by Cloudflare led Apple to remove Telega, an unofficial Russian Telegram client, from the App Store earlier in April, although in that case iPhones also prevented those users who had previously downloaded Telega from opening the app.

The Russian government has been promoting MAX for over a year as an alternative to popular Western social media platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp, which are both frequently blocked in Russia due to “security concerns”.

Attempts to force several segments of Russian society to transition to MAX, including school teachers, civil servants, and soldiers fighting in Ukraine, have been met with various degrees of resistance, with some military units reportedly banning the app’s use entirely.