Apple briefly pulls Telegram from App Store over child abuse content

Apple ↗ 0.29% temporarily pulled Telegram from its App Store on Monday night after a review uncovered child sexual abuse material on the messaging platform, restoring the app hours later once the offending content was removed.

"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 a statement provided to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "The app was subsequently restored after the developer promptly removed the content and banned the user who posted it."bloomberg+1

The app was unavailable for users in the United States, India, Australia, and Singapore before being fully restored later Monday evening. Existing users retained access to the app during the brief removal window.appleinsider+2

Telegram Fires Back

Telegram responded to the incident with characteristic defiance. In a statement emailed to Forbes, the company said the suspension was triggered by a single user sharing CSAM who was subsequently banned, adding that it had "eliminated over 337,900 groups and channels associated with CSAM in 2026."forbes

On X, Telegram's official account replied to Apple's statement by posting: "I'm sure this stance will be applied equally to all other apps in the store, in the future, right?" — tagging Apple directly. The app's main channel also posted "reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated" alongside an apple emoji.mashable+2

A Pattern of Conflict

This is not the first time Apple has removed Telegram over similar concerns. In 2018, the company pulled the app from the App Store citing "inappropriate content" before restoring it once the issue was resolved.theverge+1

Telegram's moderation practices have faced increasing scrutiny in recent years. French authorities arrested CEO Pavel Durov in 2024 and charged him with enabling illegal transactions and complicity in the distribution of CSAM. Last week, Australia's internet safety authority initiated legal proceedings against Telegram for allegedly failing to remove extremist content from its platform.forbes+1

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney criticized Apple's handling of the removal, calling it an example of "arbitrary policy enforcement by a monopolistic gatekeeper" that "generates a climate of fear and compliance among developers."forbes