The press service of the Max messenger reported that the application has disappeared from the App Store. New installations on iPhone are not possible, but previously downloaded versions continue to work, and developers have already sent a request to Apple.
The national messenger app Max (until April 2026, it was called Max) has disappeared from the Apple App Store. The service's press office confirmed that it is "currently unavailable in the App Store" and emphasized that all copies previously installed on smartphones will continue to work as usual.
The MAX team has sent a request for clarification to Apple and is working on a prompt solution to the problem.
Max can still be downloaded from other stores: RuStore, Google Play, Huawei AppGallery, Samsung Store, Xiaomi Store, Vivo Store, and the messenger's official website.
Max is a VK development launched in March 2025. From September 1, 2025, it was included in the list of programs mandatory for pre-installation on smartphones sold in Russia. By March 2026, the messenger's audience reached 100 million registered users, and in April, the service changed its name from Max to Max and restricted operation when VPN was enabled.
Apple has not disclosed the reasons for the removal. However, this is not an isolated incident: according to the company's report, a record 1213 applications were removed from the Russian App Store in 2025 – compared to 171 a year earlier. All of them, according to Apple, were removed in accordance with the legal requirements of the countries where the store operates.
The story with Max continues the series of disappearances of Russian applications from the App Store. iPhone users who have not had time to install the messenger will either have to wait for Apple's decision or look for workarounds, which is inconvenient for most.
The Max messenger was flagged as "spyware" by one of the largest hosting providers, Cloudflare, but this status was later removed.