How things with Apple in Russia ended a year and a half later. We may not like

On March 2, Apple closed an online store in Russia, and from that moment on, external information about leaving the country’s market.

Very soon, the media and experts prophesied a harsh deal: from access to access to user services to remote blocking of all company gadgets in the Russian Federation.

So, almost a year and a half has passed since then. Waves of lockdowns from the West have calmed down. This calm discusses the discussion in brief of what actually happened.

1. We got “blocked” from Apple Pay

Apple Pay is limited in Russia. You cannot add MIR cards to the service, as well as cards of any Russian banks in general, regardless of their payment system. The vast majority of Russians, therefore, contactless payment service from Apple.

It if to look at subjectively. Objectively, the situation is somewhat different. Geographically in Russia, Apple Pay still works. If you have a card from a foreign bank (for example, a tourist card from other countries), and your bank does not block payments in Russian banks, then you can still pay for purchases using Apple Pay in Russia.

This fact does not add joy to the majority of Russians. But they say that Apple Pay is disabled in Russia, still wrong.

2. Applications of many banks have been removed from the App Store

Sberbank (SBOL), Alfa-Bank, VTB, Tinkoff, Rosselkhozbank, Uralsib, Otkritie – this is just a partial list of banks, applications have been removed from the App Store.

These Apple decisions are based on American and American resolutions. Banks found a way out of the situation by reissuing applications under other names, including from third parties. However, all were eventually removed.

For a year and a half, sanctioned banks have been in a hurry and significantly risked the design and speed of browser versions. Many of them have achieved full functional parity with applications. And with the release of iOS 16.4, it became possible to deliver push notifications directly from the children’s browser. So far, not everyone has implemented this technology, but the process is successful.

Also, some banking messages about installing applications on customer devices, bypassing the App Store. For example, Sberbank and Tinkoff do this. Their methods are slightly different, but they involve the help of a bank specialist – they themselves need the program, after which you use it as before.

And the applications themselves also found options for reinstalling bank client programs using external software:

▪ 7 internal iPhone apps without the App Store in 2023. For example, Sberbank

This is not very convenient. But it works.

3. Apple’s online store is still closed

You can go to the old address, see the animation and unambiguous text.

By the way, the Russian-language site has not been updated since February 2022. There are still presented only those products that are already officially released in Russia.

4. Not a single new Apple product has been officially launched in Russia

The gadgets that were announced and went on sale from February 24, 2022 were not officially released for Russia specifically. The problem, apart from the obvious ones, is not created – except for one.

iPhone SE 2022, iPhone 14 and iPad released after this date are not certified to work on Russian networks. This is provided: for example, in the iPhone 14, any model cannot include VoLTE and VoWiFi. There were problems with eSIM activation in some transactions, but today they are resolved.

5. Apple has returned support for Mac and iPad, but the warranty is still there.

Online and telephone technical support Apple in Russia is still available, but not in full. For a year and a half, the Mac and iPad directions were curtailed. On this device in the Russian Federation, you will no longer consult on solving problems, limiting yourself only to links to individual pages of self-diagnosis and official information on the site.

Warranty service for still active Apple Care+ subscriptions purchased in Russia continues to be provided at the remaining authorized service centers. Also, under the warranty and old conditions (2 years), the ASC provided all Apple devices purchased in Russia and published for the Russian market until February 24, 2022.

The ASC, of ​​course, is in the survival reserve. Some of them partially returned the work. But not all.

The Apple Support app works the same as before. In general, the company has not “cut off” all communication with customers in the country.

6. You can fill in an Apple ID only from two SIM cards.

You can replenish the balance of Russian Apple ID accounts with an operator’s SIM card MTS And Beeline. There are no other options. Card payments are blocked.

To the point: how Apple subscriptions are paid and replenished in the App Store in 2023. All work tasks

Everyone who needs captures for the services of the company’s service has either acquired a “sim card” during this time, or found with some friends and colleagues who wanted to purchase and transfer recharge codes. Even the codes that are sold in a “ready-made” form on various Internet sites were also bought by someone from the balance of the number from the telecom operator.

I won’t say it’s all comfortable, but in general – the issue is easily solved. Personally, I have kept all previous Apple subscriptions and subscriptions to certain applications. I cry and don’t cryAchu to this day.

7. All Apple services are average in Russia, including paid ones

Let me remind you that according to the prophecies, they were waiting for us here total blackout…

App Store: works. Some of the applications are not available, including those taken away. But mostly it’s optional.

message: works.

iCloud: works. No new restrictions. All subscriptions are average.

Apple TV+: works. All international content is also released for the Russian Federation. With rare exceptions, Russian voice acting is found everywhere. For example, the first episode of the second season of the series “Base” dubbed studio Nevafilm.

Apple Music: works. There are no restrictions from Apple. The prerogative to release / not release or delete tracks and albums for Russian advertising services Some labels and artists have made all their content available on Apple Music for the Russian Federation. Some limited themselves to refusing to release only here new songs.

Apple Arcade: works. Only a few games have not been launched in the Russian App Store – for example, wild flowers. This solution is used by itself, not by Apple.

Apple Fitness+: works.

8. Any Apple devices are activated in Russia

It doesn’t matter where you bought them and when they were released – in Russia you can activate any company gadget or accessory.

Activations were rare complaints in 2022, but they were attributed to temporary blocking of IP address ranges by Roskomnadzor or blocking by an ISP.

The blocking of all iPhones and Macs in Russia, which was promised by hundreds of experts, never happened.

9. Prices for Apple appliances have started to float freely.

Since Apple left the Russian market, set the recommended retail price (RRC) for equipment and accessories there is no one else.

In the absence of this bar, there are two floating prices in the high-performance market: one for the main level of federal retailers with symmetrical imports, and the other for “serovozovoz”. The first stable second, of course.

All this refers to a curious effect. Over the past year and a half, there were periods when it was even cheaper to buy an iPhone, Mac or, say, AirPods in Russia than in the USA. Today’s value follows the exchange rate and is equivalent to imports. But it also includes unsold stocks.

What in the end?

In a nutshell, the conclusion is simple: got worse, but not so much anxiety. Want to use Apple no matter what? Use on health. There are options.

If this seems too positive to someone, I advise the subscriber how Google behaved with the Android ecosystem. Leave out the ability to install applications from any source and access to NFC. This is all good, of course – but is a consequence of the openness of the OS, which is not used for use.

Google, for example, has completely banned any account replenishment in Google Play for Russian accounts. Turned off Google Pay by location. Widely used methods are blocked in all their services. Turned off active subscriptions, including no refunds. And for a long time it prohibits its own applications with Russian IP addresses – for example, Chrome for Android.

So, looking at Apple and their attitude towards their users from Russia, I note not without joy. Rumors about the death and blocking of Apple in Russia have been exaggerated. And now, after a year and a half, they installed.

PS I almost forgot: we were banned from Final Cut and Logic Pro for iPad a month after they launched. However, the very launch of this subscription in the Russian Federation was a strange event and went to the “bag” more.