According to online sources, the Russian Android app store RuStore hasn't begun to be pre-installed on phones imported and sold in Russia, despite the fact that it was included by the government in the list of applications for mandatory installation on mobile devices sold in 2023.
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RuStore is already installed on none of the Android phones purchased in Russian stores since the beginning of 2023 and sold in the M.Video, Eldorado, DNS, and Megafon networks. For example, Samsung Galaxy S23 smartphones, which were introduced in February 2023, use the Google Play Store or other foreign platforms, such as AppGallery for Huawei and Vivo App Store for Vivo. Store sellers offer to install RuStore after purchasing on their own.
Other applications that were previously included in the list for mandatory preinstallation may be found on some phones sold in the country, such as Xiaomi and Vivo's Yandex.Maps and Yandex.Disk, as well as Mail.ru Mail, Kaspersky Lab, and My Office.
The appearance of smartphones with RuStore in stores may be influenced by the time of production and the import of specific batches into the country, according to the Ministry of Digital Development. "One more factor affecting the preset is the prohibition on inspections. Products should be checked by Rospotrebnadzor, but until the end of 2023, there will be no inspections by regulatory authorities," said the Ministry of Digital Development.
According to an unnamed source familiar with the process of importing electronics, pre-installation of domestic software by manufacturers is currently impossible. This is due to the fact that a large part of smartphones supplied to the country is imported without the manufacturer's authorization as part of parallel imports. If shops in their warehouses begin opening boxes on their own, activating devices and interfering with the operating system, this will turn out to be a direct violation of consumer rights.
RuStore would need to be downloaded onto smartphones at the time of purchase, causing queues and customer dissatisfaction.
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