Russia’s state-backed messenger reaches 45 million users

Max, the state-backed Russian competitor to popular messengers such as Telegram and WhatsApp, is now boasting over 45 million users.

Since its launch, they have also sent a few billion messages on the new messaging platform pushed hard by Moscow, the team behind it also claims.

Max’s average daily reach surpasses 18 million

More than 45 million users have registered with the Max messenger, Russian media reported, quoting stats released by its press service.

An increase of 5 million since the beginning of October helped the application to its new total, RBC reported on Wednesday.

The average daily reach also increased, to 18.2 million users this month, with a record daily high of over 21 million, Max told the business news outlet, further highlighting:

“Since the messenger’s launch, users have sent over 3 billion messages and made over 700 million calls. The number of chats increased to 6.5 million in October.”

Since the end of August, over 20 million video messages have been sent as well, with users under 17 being the most active.

As of October 15, the number of channels in Max exceeded 11,000, the announcement also detailed.

Max messenger adds Digital ID feature

The Russian messenger, which was released in beta this past March, is based on the Max platform developed by VK, formerly Vkontakte, which is the leading social media network in the Russian-speaking segment of the Internet.

VK is expanding the project with the help of the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications in Moscow, and Max will eventually facilitate interaction with government agencies.

In mid-September, it introduced a “Digital ID” feature that allows users to verify their identity, status or age when shopping at Russian retailers.

Besides texting, audio and video calls, voice messaging and conference calling, it already supports large file sharing and money transfers as well.

Similar to more established products in this market, Max offers integration for business services that take the form of mini-apps and chatbots.

Max is available in app stores in mobile, desktop, and web versions and has been added to a list of mandatory applications that Russia requires pre-installed on devices sold in the country.

In August, industry sources told Russian media that Chinese and South Korean manufacturers were “making every effort” to install the “national messenger” on their smartphones ahead of a September deadline.

Russia’s answer to Western messengers grows amid concerns

Russian authorities seem intent to replace messengers popular among Russians, such as Telegram and WhatsApp, with Max.

This summer, WhatsApp, which is owned by American social media giant Meta, accused Russia of cracking down on encrypted services after Moscow began restricting call features on both WhatsApp and Telegram for failing to comply with Russian law.

In July, Telegram’s owner Pavel Durov denied Russian media reports that Telegram was opening an office in Russia, as required by the country’s so-called “landing law,” after rejecting earlier rumors that the messenger was exiting the Russian market.

The Russian-born tech entrepreneur, also a co-founder of VK, left his home country years ago, alleging his social media platform had been taken over by allies of the Kremlin after his refusal to censor protestors in both Russia and Ukraine.

Later, Durov turned down requests by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) to share the encryption keys to Telegram messages exchanged between people of interest for Russian law enforcement.

Meanwhile, a high-ranking Kremlin official, the deputy head of President Vladimir Putin’s administration, Maxim Oreshkin, insisted that Moscow is not contemplating a ban on foreign messaging apps.

Russian officials have been claiming Max is actually more secure and requests fewer user permissions than Western alternatives, with which it’s meant to compete.

At the same time, the state-supported app has been a cause of concern over potentially facilitating government surveillance, collection of sensitive personal data, and political censorship.

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