On Monday night, Apple briefly removed Telegram from the App Store after a review found content that violated its guidelines against child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The app was restored about 40 minutes later, according to Reuters. The removal began around 9:30 PM ET, when searches for Telegram on the App Store returned no results and the direct listing showed a "page can't be found" error. Existing users were not affected and could continue using the app throughout, while Telegram remained available on the Mac App Store. The app returned around 10:10 PM ET.
Apple confirmed the reason for the takedown in a statement: "We briefly removed Telegram from the App Store after our review found content that violates our strict guidelines prohibiting child sexual abuse material. The app was subsequently restored after the developer promptly removed the content and banned the user who posted it."
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A single account triggered the temporary removal
Telegram said the action stemmed from a single account. "Apple reported one user sharing CSAM, who was immediately banned," the company said. Additionally, Telegram stated it has removed more than 337,900 groups and channels related to CSAM in 2026, on top of 29,640 removals in 2025 following reports from groups including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The company also joked on X with the message "reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated."
Tim Sweeney criticizes Apple's decision
Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games and a longtime critic of App Store policy amid his own antitrust fight with Apple, argued on X that the takedown showed the need for more competition in app distribution. "Apple's App Store desperately needs competition worldwide," Sweeney wrote. "Apple capriciously removes a vital communication and privacy tool from availability to a billion users, and sadly this is business as usual." He went on to question the consistency of the standard Apple applied, noting the company "did not elaborate on how, if that is the standard for app removal, any communications app could operate at scale, including iMessage."
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A precedent in 2018 and the moderation debate
Monday's action echoes a February 2018 removal, when Apple pulled both Telegram and its Telegram X client over what founder Pavel Durov described at the time as "inappropriate content," restoring the apps only after Telegram added extra safeguards. This incident reignites the debate on content moderation in messaging platforms and the role of app stores. The case also highlights the challenges platforms face in balancing free speech and child protection. For those following moderation dynamics, a similar case is Apple limiting Bug Bounty reports after a flood of AI-generated fake bugs, showing how the company handles reports in various areas. Furthermore, the issue of moderation intertwines with store transparency policies, as discussed in Apple prototypes 6.4-inch display for iPhone 20 Pro, which shows the company's focus on hardware but also its strategic choices.
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Source: https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/04/telegram-briefly-removed-from-app-store
