VK announced on July 16 that its Max messenger and VKontakte social network applications have been removed from the Google Play app store. The Odnoklassniki social network app has also been affected by this change. However, users can still access these applications through alternative platforms such as RuStore, Huawei AppGallery, Samsung Galaxy Store, Xiaomi GetApps, and various other Android app stores. For those who have already installed the apps, functionality will remain uninterrupted.
Domain Transition and User Notifications
In a recent update, VKontakte users have begun receiving notifications regarding the platform’s transition from the .com domain to .ru. The notification reassures users, stating, “It’s still the same VKontakte, but faster and more reliable than vk.com.”
This shift comes in the wake of sanctions imposed by the European Union on July 13 against VK and its subsidiary, Kommunikatsionnaya Platforma, the developer behind the Max messenger. Earlier, in late June, the Max messenger, along with the VK social network app and Mail.ru’s email applications, faced removal from the App Store, with the Odnoklassniki app also becoming unavailable at that time.
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