A Russian man has filed a lawsuit against Apple after claiming an iPhone app turned him gay when he was sent the wrong type of cryptocurrency.

The man, from Moscow, is seeking one million rubles (£12,400) in damages after a cryptocurrency called 'GayCoin' was delivered via a smartphone app, rather than the Bitcoin he had ordered.

He said the technology giant pushed him 'towards homosexuality through manipulation' and caused him 'moral and mental harm'.

The 69 GayCoins arrived on a cryptocurrency payment app with a note saying, 'Don't judge until you try,' according to the complaint.

A Russian man has filed a lawsuit against Apple for moral harm claiming that an iPhone app had turned him gay (stock image)

The man - identified as D. Razumilov - had downloaded the app onto his iPhone in 2017, the Moscow Times reported.

'I thought, in truth, how can I judge something without trying? I decided to try same-sex relationships,' he said.

'Now I have a boyfriend and I do not know how to explain this to my parents... my life has been changed for the worse and will never become normal again.

'Apple pushed me towards homosexuality through manipulation. The changes have caused me moral and mental harm.'

The complainant's lawyer Sapizhat Gusnieva insisted the case was 'serious' and that her client was 'scared, he suffered' as a result (stock image)

His lawyer Sapizhat Gusnieva has insisted the case is 'serious' and that her client was 'scared, he suffered' as a result.

Gusnieva said the US technology giant 'has a responsibility for their programmes' despite the alleged exchange taking place on a third-party app.

Moscow's Presnensky District Court registered the lawsuit on September 20 and the court will hear the complaint on October 17.

Homophobia is widespread in Russia where reports of rights violations and attacks on LGBT people are common, though there are gay scenes in major cities.

Moscow in 2013 introduced a law against 'gay propaganda', which officially bans the 'promotion of non-traditional lifestyles to minors' but in effect outlaws LGBT activism.