Apple has paid an antitrust fine of about 1.2 bln rubles ($13.4 mln), the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) said, Paralel.Az reports citing TASS.

"On January 19, 2024, Apple paid the fine. The money was received by the government of the Russian Federation," the regulator informed. In July 2022, the Russian antimonopoly watchdog recognized the company as breaching antitrust legislation. As a result of the completed administrative investigation, FAS hit Apple with a 1.178 bln ruble fine.

"Apple forced Russian developers of iOS apps to use the company’s payment tool in their apps," the regulator said. "App Store rules prohibited iOS app developers from informing customers inside the app about the possibility of paying for purchases outside the App Store and using alternative payment methods," it noted.

The company also required developers to remove links to their websites and change the app’s functionality so that the registration form did not lead to external websites, otherwise the app would not be allowed in the App Store, the watchdog added.