Apple has today informed its Russian development community that it is increasing Russian App Store prices due to current volatility of the Russian Ruble. After completely shutting its Online Store as it didn’t know what price to charge for its goods, it has been forced to raise the cost of applications and services available from the App Store.
As it’s easy to change prices for apps due to fluctuations in the exchange rate, there wasn’t the need to completely close the App Store but this year has seen app prices rise by almost 100%. With the Ruble ever-weakening, iOS users in Russia have gone from paying approximately 36 Rubles for a $0.99 app to 62 Rubles under the new pricing structure.
The changes are roughly proportional to the changes in the exchange rate but with the Ruble continuing to slump, we might yet see further increases in the app prices. At present, the Apple Online Store remains closed in Russia and until the Ruble settles at a new rate, it’s likely the Store will remain closed.
Hey, I'm Nirave - based out of London, I'm the European Editor for FoneArena. I love travelling and can usually be found reading, playing with the latest tech or writing about travel and tech.