On July 16, Google removed all applications belonging to the Russian…
On July 16, Google removed all applications belonging to the Russian VK holding from Google Play, following a similar action by Apple in June. The move is linked to EU sanctions imposed on VK and its subsidiary, Kommunikatsionnaya Platforma, over allegations of supporting suppression of civil society in Russia.
Consensus
- All applications belonging to the VK holding were removed from Google Play on July 16.
- The removal followed a similar action by Apple, which had previously removed VK apps from App Store starting in June.
- VK apps are still available through alternative app stores such as RuStore, Huawei AppGallery, Samsung Galaxy Store, and Xiaomi GetApps.
- Users can continue to receive push notifications and updates for installed VK applications without disruption.
- The removal is connected to EU sanctions against VK and its subsidiary Kommunikatsionnaya Platforma, which were introduced on July 13.
- VK has recommended users switch from vk.com to vk.ru for faster access.
Points of divergence
- VK announced the sale of its entire app store RuStore to Dmitry Pankrushev on July 16, shortly before the Google Play removal was made public. — meduza
- Mash reports that VK apps are unavailable in Huawei AppGallery for users of Chinese Huawei devices. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- VK's app removal from Google Play caused push notifications to stop working for Apple device users, though this is contradicted by other sources stating they continue functioning. — m24
Coverage (4 sources)
- Google follows Apple in removing all VK apps from its store (including the 'Max' messenger). Russian company won't suffer much, but there are ways to harm it even more — Meduza
- "Max" and VK removed from Google Play — Meduza
- VK and 'Max' Removed from Google Play — SOTAvision
- VK-owned apps disappeared from Google Play — Москва 24