Russian President Vladimir Putin has officially signed a law mandating the mandatory pre-installation of the RuStore application store on all smartphones and tablets slated for sale within the Russian Federation. This significant legislative action, details of which have surfaced on the official portal for legal information, is poised to reshape the software landscape on consumer electronics entering the Russian market.
The scope of the new law extends beyond a simple requirement for RuStore`s presence. It explicitly prohibits manufacturers from imposing any conditions that could “limit or make impossible the use of Russian applications and the unified application store.” This broad directive covers restrictions on crucial user functionalities such as searching for, updating, managing settings for, ensuring interaction with, and sending notifications from Russian-developed applications. Furthermore, the law stipulates that device owners must maintain the ability to conduct transactions using Russian national payment systems, ensuring domestic financial integration is not hindered by hardware or software gatekeepers.
Explanatory notes accompanying the legislation shed light on its underlying purpose. While RuStore is already a common fixture on devices running the Android operating system, the law particularly targets other manufacturers – a category where Apple prominently resides. These companies, according to the notes, reportedly employ various limitations via user and developer license agreements that the new law is specifically designed to dismantle. The legislation is set to become applicable to all devices imported into the Russian Federation starting from September 1st, signaling a clear deadline for manufacturers to comply with the new requirements.
This move represents a determined step by Russia to strengthen its digital sovereignty and ensure domestic platforms have a guaranteed presence and full functionality on devices sold within its territory. It directly addresses the dynamics of app distribution ecosystems, aiming to level the playing field – or perhaps subtly tilting it – in favour of national digital services.
