The Telegram messenger disappeared from the App Store worldwide for several hours. The cause was Apple's reaction to illegal content posted by platform users. The company immediately removed the app, but after the Telegram team's quick work, access was restored.
Reason for the ban and Apple's reaction
Apple officially confirmed the fact of the temporary ban. According to company representatives, the check revealed materials that directly violated App Store guidelines. The app was returned to the catalog immediately after Telegram developers removed the illegal content and blocked the offender's account.
History repeats itself
A similar incident already occurred in 2018. Then Apple also temporarily suspended access to the messenger due to unacceptable content. The restoration of the service's operation occurred only after Telegram tightened security measures.
Telegram's position
The messenger team declared zero tolerance for materials involving minors. Representatives of the service, which has more than a billion active monthly users, reported blocking nearly 338 thousand groups and channels related to illicit content.
Telegram publicly commented on the actions of Apple's moderators, expressing hope that similar strict removal standards would be applied to all other apps in the store.
Criticism from Tim Sweeney
The situation was critically assessed by Epic Games head Tim Sweeney, who has long opposed Apple's corporate policy. In his opinion, the temporary blocking of an app with a billion-strong audience due to the illegal actions of one user creates a dangerous precedent.
Sweeney noted that with such strict criteria, any large-scale communication service could be at risk of removal, including Apple's own messenger — iMessage.
International pressure
Telegram is under increased scrutiny from international regulators. In the UK, the Ofcom agency is investigating facts of the distribution of prohibited content, although service representatives claim that thanks to automatic detection algorithms, they have practically eliminated the public distribution of such materials.
Furthermore, earlier this year, the Australian online regulator fined the platform for delaying its response to requests regarding measures to counter illegal content.
