Apple agreed to preinstall the Russian search engine on iPhones and iPads sold in Russia. This was reported by Vedomosti.
This information was confirmed to the newspaper by a source in the Ministry of Digital Science and in the Russian office of the company.
When you first turn on an Apple gadget purchased in Russia, the user will be prompted to install applications from a list approved by the government. In this case, you can refuse to install them by unchecking the corresponding boxes.
The ministry added that the issue of creating a selection of promising Russian applications in the App Store is currently being discussed with Apple. Apple has assured that it complies with local laws and that all apps are tested to meet privacy, security and content standards.
On March 15, the Ministry of Digital Industry decided to prepare a decree, which wants to oblige smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the domestic search engine by default directly into the browsers of Russians. Thus, the department wants to expand the operation of the law on the mandatory pre-installation of domestic programs. The decision about what kind of Russian search engine will be installed will be made by the government of the country. The decree of the Cabinet of Ministers is planned to be issued by April this year. The initiative concerns not only smartphones but also tablets.
Earlier, the Ministry of Digital Science proposed to oblige manufacturers of smartphones and tablets to install a Russian search engine in the pre-installed browsers. The new rule should come into force on April 1, 2021, along with the law on the mandatory pre-installation of domestic programs on smartphones and other devices. However, it is not yet known which Russian search engine will work by default in a mobile browser.
