American tech giants have completed what European officials have started. On July 16, 2026, Google Play removed almost all applications of the VK holding, including the "national messenger" Max, the social networks VKontakte and Odnoklassniki, as well as Mail.ru services. This happened three days after the European Union included VK in the sanctions lists, and three weeks after a similar "cleanup" in the App Store.
In short: the Russian "sovereign" ecosystem no longer exists in global app stores. The following have disappeared from Google Play:
- All social networks and messengers: VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Max and VK messengers.
- Email and cloud services: Mail and Cloud Mail.ru.
- Content Platforms: Zen, VK Video, VK Music, VK Clips.
- Secondary services: Yula, Marusya, VK Dating and even gaming platforms.
In addition, the VK and Max applications were removed from the store Huawei AppGallery, which effectively deprives users of the ability to officially download them to most smartphones.
The formal reason is EU sanctions. On July 13, 2026, the EU Council published a decision according to which VK Holding and the developer of the Max messenger (Max LLC) were included in blocking lists. Legally, this means a complete ban on any activity with them for all persons in the EU, including Apple and Google, who have offices there.
The Russian authorities traditionally call this "unfair competition" and "censorship of the West." However, experts note that for VK this is a consolidation of the already existing situation of technological isolation.
VK is fleeing the .com domain
Against the backdrop of blocking in stores, VK announced a complete transition to a vk.ru domain. The official version is that the new address is "faster and more reliable." An unofficial and more plausible domain vk.com is registered in the United States, and the Russian authorities seriously fear that it may be taken away as part of the implementation of sanctions. After September 30, 2025, all applications working with the social network API are already required to use only the zone .ru.
Welcome to the World of APKs and Web Shortcuts: What Users Should Do (Instructions for Survivors)
VK Holding cheerfully declares that "everything is working normally." And it's true – if an app is already on your phone, it won't turn into a pumpkin instantly. But if you bought a new gadget or accidentally deleted the program and for some reason you need to install it, get ready for quests. Forget Google Play. Now your primary source is RuStore. You will have to install it manually through the APK file from the official website.
If you're an iOS owner (iPhone and iPad), then yours is luckier. Apple is a closed system, and there are no official ways to return VK to the App Store. If for some reason you want to use VK, then there is web version. The only "official" way is to go through Safari to vk.ru or web.max.ru and use the "Share" button to bring the shortcut to the desktop.
Apparently, the era of convenient one-click updates for Russian services is finally becoming a thing of the past. Now users will be responsible for the security and relevance of their software, getting used to the interfaces of Russian "analogues".
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