Apple Maps and Apple Weather now show Crimea as part of Ukraine when accessed from anywhere outside of Russia. It appears that the company has quietly changed its stance on the territorial dispute from its neutral stance. Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine is likely to have something to do with this change.
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In the past, Apple’s apps have tried to remain neutral on the issue by refusing to list Crimea as part of any country – for users using the app from anywhere on Earth. However, in 2019 Apple updated its apps (Maps and Weather) to show Crimea as part of Russia when viewed from within Russia, defying international consensus and angering Ukrainians.
The decision to recognize Russia’s claim was heavily criticized by Ukrainian officials at the time, with the Ukrainian embassy tweeting: “[Let’s] remind Apple that #CrimeaIsUkraine and it is under Russian occupation – not its sovereignty.” Meanwhile, Russian officials described the move as a correction of an “inaccuracy.”.
Now it appears that Apple is taking a slightly different stance, clearly labeling the peninsula as part of Ukraine — at least to those accessing the app from outside of Russia. Apple Maps and Weather apps now consider Crimea to be Ukrainian territory — for users accessing from other countries, including the US, Australia, and, of course, Ukraine.
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Mashable contacted Apple to ask when the change was made, as well as whether Crimea is still marked as Russian territory when users log into apps from Russia.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, carrying out a military invasion of the peninsula and installing new officials. A referendum was then held asking whether citizens wanted Crimea to join the Russian Federation or whether they wanted to remain in Ukraine with greater autonomy and the restoration of the 1992 Crimean constitution.
The majority of the international community condemned Russia's actions, refusing to recognize its claim to Crimea, considering the referendum illegal. Russia was subject to sanctions in response to the invasion. However, none of these sanctions appear to have deterred Russia.
Earlier this week, Apple responded to Russia's invasion of Ukraine by halting product sales in Russia and removing Russia Today and Sputnik News from App Stores outside of Russia. Changes to Apple Maps and Weather apps were not mentioned in the announcement.
See also: Ukraine calls for Russia to be cut off from videogame production
"We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and stand with all people suffering as a result of the violence," Apple said in a statement. "We will continue to assess the situation and are in communication with the relevant governments about the actions we are taking.".
Information source: mashable.com
