Telegram back on Apple App Store after disappearing worldwide
Apple said Telegram was restored after a review found CSAM and the app removed the offending content, while existing iPhone installations kept working.
- On Monday, Apple briefly removed Telegram from the global App Store after alleging it contained content violating child sexual abuse material guidelines. The app was restored later that night once Telegram removed the flagged content and banned the user responsible.
- Telegram highlighted its extensive safety efforts, removing more than 337,900 groups and channels related to CSAM in 2026 and 29,640 removals in 2025 after reports from NGOs including the Missing & Exploited Children center.
- Despite the removal, existing users maintained uninterrupted access to Telegram's chats and functionality. Telegram's official account responded by tweeting, "reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated," then challenged Apple's enforcement consistency across the App Store.
- Epic Games CEO Sweeney, a vocal critic of Apple's 30% App Store fee, condemned the removal, arguing Apple removed Telegram "from availability to a billion users" over one violation, calling it "arbitrary policy enforcement, by a monopoly gatekeeper."
- Monday's removal marks the latest in a series of Telegram removals across platforms and regions, including a 2024 removal from the Chinese App Store alongside WhatsApp and Signal, and a 2023 temporary ban in Brazil. Telegram remains available through Google Play and the Mac App Store.
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According to the company, it was by a messenger user, who shared child pornography; the app was blocked and rehabilitated on the same day
Telegram messenger vanishes from the iPhone’s App Store
Telegram has briefly vanished from the App Store, over claims it is being used to share images of child sexual abuse.The controversial messaging app was removed for download onto the iPhone, before being restored, Apple said.
Telegram App Store Ban Explained: Why Apple Removed the Messaging App as Pavel Durov Faces Terror Charges
Apple briefly removed Telegram from its iPhone and iPad App Store on Monday evening following a review that detected content violating strict guidelines against child sexual abuse material. The temporary Telegram App Store ban prevented new downloads globally before restoration later that night once the material was removed. The temporary removal marked the latest operational disruption for the platform while billionaire founder Pavel Durov face…
Apple Pulled Telegram From the App Store Worldwide Over a Single User Post
If you’re tired of censorship and surveillance, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store worldwide on Monday night, then restored it roughly 40 minutes later. “We briefly removed Telegram from the App Store after our review found content that violates our strict guidelines prohibiting child sexual abuse material,” Apple said in...
Apple accuses Telegram of spreading child abuse recordings and has temporarily decided to take an extraordinary step. Telegram reacted to Apple's step with mocking online postings.
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