Regulators require that new devices for the Russian and EAEU markets use Russian search in Safari, Spotlight, and Siri prompts by default, and this must be done by October 31. Failure to comply will result in fines and sales restrictions.
Regulators require that new devices for the Russian and EAEU markets use Russian search in Safari, Spotlight, and Siri prompts by default, and this must be done by October 31. Failure to comply will result in fines and sales restrictions.
As reported by the Telegram channel «Telekom-Kruzhok», the requirement is accompanied by rhetoric about «protection of competition» and references to European «choice windows» of search engines, so a scenario is possible when a screen with local options appears during the initial setup of iOS, but Yandex will be the default.
Technically, Apple will have to update the iOS regional profiles for ru/EAEC: define the default search in Safari, synchronize it with system services like Spotlight and Siri Suggestions, localize switches and telemetry protocols, and undergo additional testing for regulatory audit. Supporting separate configurations for a sanctioned market will complicate the release cycle, increase the cost of support, and force you to build compliance verification procedures.
The economic impact will be felt primarily by the Russian mobile search segment: the status of the default provider traditionally translates into higher market share and advertising revenues. For global competitors, this means a loss of behavioral traffic, and for Apple, the risk of a decline in service revenues from search contracts in these territories and the need to negotiate licensing terms with local partners.
For users, the changes will appear as a built-in search engine choice on new devices. You can switch to an alternative in the settings, but experience shows that the majority of the audience does not change their default browsers, so it is the previous setting that will shape the traffic picture.
For years, Russia has been pressuring global platforms to adapt iOS to local rules: from the idea of a «window of choice» for services to the promotion of local app stores and «super apps.» The requirement to make Yandex the default search engine is a continuation of this line, which makes it difficult for Apple to have a unified iOS setup in the world and gives local services an advantage due to their default status.
dev.ua previously wrote about how Russia is blocking roaming for foreign SIM cards. We spoke with telecom analyst and digital technology consultant eQualitie Oleksandr Glushchenko to find out how the new blocking system works in Russia, whether it is really «purely to combat drones,» and whether something similar is possible in Ukraine.
