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Apple is quietly BLOCKING its gay pride watch face in Russia

Lottie Casas August 31, 2018

Apple is quietly BLOCKING its Gay Pride rainbow Watch face in Russia, claims developer

Apple is quietly BLOCKING its Gay Pride rainbow Watch face in Russia, claims developer

  • Prominent iOS developer Guilherme Rambo claims to have made the discovery
  • He claims Apple ‘hardcoded’ the watch to not display the rainbow face in Russia
  • The watch face was first revealed during the company’s annual developer conference WWDC in June and rolled-out worldwide in time for pride month

Apple quietly blocks its Gay Pride watch face for Apple Watch wearers in Russia, according to prominent iOS develpoer Guilherme Rambo.

When the Apple Watch detects it is being used in Russia, the software will automatically hides the rainbow-coloured Pride watchface.

This behaviour is ‘hardcoded’ into the software, according to prominent iOS developer Guilherme Rambo, who first discovered the quirk.

The Gay Pride watch face, which includes strips in the colours of the LGBTQ pride flag, was first announced during Apple’s annual developer conference WWDC in June.

The watch face was rolled-out to Watch wearers worldwide in time for Pride month.

Apple has previously spoken of its ‘unwavering commitment to equality and diversity’ in a number of videos around LGBTQ rights.

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Apple has been quietly blocking its gay pride watch face for Apple Watch wearers in Russia. One iOS developer found evidence the pride Apple Watch is ‘hardcoded to not show up if the paired iPhone is using the Russian locale

iOS developer Guilherme Rambo alleges that the Gay Pride watch face cannot be assigned to an Apple Watch via the companion ‘Watch’ app on iOS when the location of the iPhone is set to Russia.

Rambo tweeted: ‘The Apple Watch pride face is hardcoded to not show up if the paired iPhone is using the Russian locale.’


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The Gay Pride watch face was first introduced during the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.

Apple has previously spoken of its ‘unwavering commitment to equality and diversity’ in a number of corporate videos around Gay Pride. 

In June this year, Apple even released a Pride Edition Apple Watch band.

iOS developer Guilherme Rambo who made the discovery tweeted; ‘The Apple Watch pride face is hardcoded to not show up if the paired iPhone is using the Russian locale’

‘Apple is proud to support LGBTQ advocacy organisations working to bring about positive change,’ a spokesperson said at the time.

‘A portion of the proceeds from Pride Edition band sales will benefit their important efforts.’

MailOnline has contacted Apple for comment. 

Although same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults in private was officially decriminalised in 1993 in Russia, the LGBTQ community is still viewed with contempt by most Russians, with homosexuality widely-considered to be akin to a mental illness until 1999.

A law passed in 2013 threatens Russians who engages in homosexual ‘propaganda’ — the promotion of homosexuality — towards minors with fines and prison terms.

Apple has previously spoken of its ‘unwavering commitment to equality and diversity’ in a number of corporate videos around Gay Pride. In June this year, Apple even released a Pride Edition Apple Watch band (pictured)

Ahead of the World Cup in Russia earlier this summer, there was a spiralling number of reports of anti-gay chants.

Nineteen incidents of abusive chants were recorded, according to an annual report from the anti-discrimination Fare Network and Moscow-based Sova Center published in May.

That compares to just two cases the previous football season.

Victims included players from the French national team, who were targeted with monkey chants during a game against Russia in March, and Liverpool youth player Bobby Adekanye, who was racially abused by Spartak Moscow supporters.

Pride marches are usually banned in Russia, or become the target of violence.

Earlier this month, Russian police arrested 30 LGBTQ activists in Saint Petersburg on during a Pride demonstration, a co-organiser told AFP after being taken into custody.

There were around 60 people with placards calling for LGBTQ rights to be respected in the city centre, said activist and co-organiser Aleksei Nazarov.

Each participant demonstrated alone, a ruse to avoid the protest being classified as a gathering, which would have made it subject to the city’s prior approval.

 

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