45% of Russians Expect to Switch to Android Due to Apple's Restrictions: VCIOM Study

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. Nearly half of Russians (45%) believe that Apple's policy toward Russia will eventually prompt citizens to switch to Android devices, a study by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) revealed. "Forty-five percent of surveyed smartphone users expect that existing restrictions will prompt Russians to switch to Android," a report on the center's website reads. According to the study, Apple users are more affected by these restrictions than Android owners. In particular, 69% of Apple users are personally affected (compared to 37% of Android users), 56% are concerned about the situation (versus 29%), and 52% admit that using their smartphones has become less convenient (versus 25%). iPhone users reported that they no longer receive notifications (64%), apps on their devices fail to update (46%), and many were unable to download necessary applications (42%). Experts note that the consequences of removing Russian apps from the App Store could impact not only the current user experience but also the future of Apple's ecosystem in Russia. One in two Russian smartphone users (50%) now distrusts Apple due to the removal of Russian apps. Furthermore, half of the surveyed smartphone users (51%) said they would likely not consider purchasing an iPhone in the future due to restricted access to certain Russian apps. Almost every smartphone owner surveyed (97%) is aware of the removal of Russian apps to some extent: 72% are fully aware of their unavailability on foreign platforms, while 25% have only heard about it without details. Additionally, more than half of smartphone owners (56%) consider the actions of foreign companies in removing Russian apps to be inappropriate. The surveys were conducted on July 28-31, 2026, among Russian internet users aged 18 and older (1,628 respondents), including a targeted sample of 794 iPhone users.