Topline

Apple briefly took down the messaging app Telegram from its App Store on Monday, alleging that it violated its guidelines on child sex abuse material, in the latest controversy involving the messaging platform whose billionaire founder and CEO was recently accused by Russia of aiding terrorism, while Australian officials alleged it failed to block violent content.

Key Facts

The popular messaging app was taken down from the iPhone and iPad App Stores without any announcement on Monday evening, preventing new users from downloading it.

Existing users were able to continue using Telegram during this period, before the app was eventually restored on the App Store later on Monday night.

In a statement issued to various outlets, Apple said it had removed Telegram after a review found “content that violates our strict guidelines prohibiting child sexual abuse material.”

The iPhone maker added that the messaging app was restored to the App Store after the platform “promptly removed the content and banned the user who posted it.”

what has Telegram said about Apple’s Actions?

In an emailed statement shared with Forbes, Telegram said: “Apple reported one user sharing CSAM that was immediately banned. Telegram has removed more than 337,900 groups and channels related to CSAM in 2026.” In a post on X, the messaging platform took a swipe at Apple’s statement by tagging the company and saying: “I’m sure this stance will be applied equally to all other apps in the store, in the future right?” Both the post and the emailed statement included a link to Telegram’s safety overview page highlighting the number of CSAM related takedowns, including the 29,640 removals in 2025 conducted after reports from NGOs like the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Chief Critic

Even though the app was restored after a short ban, the billionaire co-founder and CEO of the gaming company Epic Games called out Apple’s handling of the matter. Sweeney, who brought a high-profile antitrust case against Apple and has been a prominent critic of its 30% App Store fee, wrote: “Apple's App Store desperately needs competition worldwide. Apple capriciously removes a vital communication and privacy tool from availability to a billion users, and sadly this is business as usual.” He added: “Apple has stated they removed the app from availability to a billion users because a Telegram user posted something horrible and illegal…Such arbitrary policy enforcement, by a monopoly gatekeeper, creates a perfect storm of fear and acquiescence by developers who are victims of Apple’s monopoly.”

Tangent

Late last month, Russian authorities charged Telegram’s CEO and founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism amid an ongoing broader crackdown by the country on major internet platforms. Telegram has emerged as a key platform for communication and announcements amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and is used by both sides. The Russian intelligence service FSB alleged that Telegram’s leadership had failed to remove “numerous channels, chats and bots” which it claimed were being used by “Ukrainian intelligence agencies, terrorist and extremist organizations to prepare and coordinate acts of sabotage and terrorism, mass murder, and cyber fraud” in Russia. The FSB claimed this had resulted in “numerous human casualties,” without mentioning any specific incident. Telegram appeared to respond to Russia’s action by posting a photo of Durov flashing a middle finger on X. The billionaire Telegram CEO was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, but according to the company, he now lives in Dubai and holds dual citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and France.

forbes valuation

According to Forbes’ estimates, Durov’s current net worth is $6.6 billion, putting him at rank 601 on the Real-Time Billionaires List.