BKS app vanishes from App Store, breaking iPhone push alerts

On July 15, BKS Mir Investitsiy was removed from the App Store, leaving iPhone users with a familiar set of limits. BKS says the removal is temporary, but it has not said when the app might return to Apple’s store.

For customers who already have the app installed, it still works. But the broker is warning users not to delete it and to turn off Offload Unused Apps, since iOS could automatically remove the app when storage runs low. Anyone who has not already downloaded it on iPhone now has only one official option: the service’s web version.

The removal also knocked out push notifications. BKS is asking clients to check the notifications section inside the app manually instead. That matters more for a brokerage app than for a standard banking app, since users often rely on fast alerts for trades and market moves.

The move fits a broader sanctions pattern. BKS Bank was placed under U.S. Treasury restrictions on November 21, 2024, and the group’s banking app was removed from the App Store soon after. Its brokerage app stayed available for several more months, but has now followed.

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This has become standard for Russia’s sanctioned financial sector. Since 2022, apps from Sber, VTB, Alfa-Bank, and other sanctioned companies have disappeared from the App Store, pushing customers toward web access or renamed versions. On Android, companies can usually sideload APK files outside Google Play, but Russia has no alternative iOS app stores.

If the app does not return quickly, BKS will likely need to put more weight behind its web client, especially as it looks for ways to replace quick access and real-time alerts on iPhone.