Telegram removed (again) from the App Store, Apple explains the reason and then restores access to the app

Telegram was briefly excluded from Apple’s App Store in several regions worldwide. The removal, which initially caused confusion among users, was motivated by a serious violation of Cupertino’s strict guidelines on child protection.

Fortunately, the incident was resolved in a short time: thanks to the prompt intervention of the platform’s developers, who removed the illicit material, the application was restored and made downloadable again for everyone.

Telegram removed from Apple’s App Store and then restored, what happened?

During the evening hours yesterday, searches for Telegram on Apple’s mobile devices unexpectedly stopped returning results, raising immediate questions about the nature of the problem.

Despite the temporary disappearance from the digital stores for iPhone and iPad, those who had already installed the software on their own devices were able to continue exchanging messages and content without any interruption.

Additionally, the desktop variants for Mac and the Android versions, regularly available on the Google Play Store, have remained accessible and fully functional.

At first, the outage was addressed with apparent lightness by the messaging company. The official account on the social network X has indeed tried to downplay it, publishing a message in an ironic tone, claiming that the news about its own demise had been widely exaggerated, and closing the statement with the symbol of an apple.

L’intervento di Apple e la risoluzione del caso

The real motivation behind this measure, however, proved to be extremely serious. Approximately 20 minutes after the software came back online, the Cupertino-based company issued an official statement to the American press to definitively clarify what happened.

The spokespersons have confirmed the precautionary suspension of the service following internal checks, which had highlighted the presence of images and videos linked to the sexual exploitation of minors.

Download access for the general public has been reactivated only after the Telegram team proactively collaborated, taking steps to delete the incriminating content and permanently blocking the user responsible for the illicit publication.

Non è la prima volta che accade

The recently resurfaced episode is part of a long string of disciplinary and legal actions against the app.

Back in February 2018, the Californian company had opted for a globally similar action, having detected the spread of content deemed not up to its safety standards.

At that moment, the situation returned to normal only after the introduction of more stringent moderation tools by the developers.

The difficulties faced by Pavel Durov’s company often involve complex international government directives as well. Over the course of 2023, the software faced a heavy block in Brazil for having refused to provide authorities with the sensitive data of groups accused of inciting violence in educational institutions.

Even more stringent and radical was the measure imposed in 2024 by the Beijing regulatory authority, which forced Apple to remove from Chinese servers not only this service, but also platforms such as WhatsApp, Threads, and Signal, imposing a censorship that remains in effect to this day.