Apple pulls Telegram from app store, gets a snarky response

Apple has pulled the Telegram app from its App Store before reinstating it again, per reports.

The app was removed on Wednesday following the apparent discovery of content that violated Apple's guidelines around child sexual abuse material.

"We briefly removed Telegram from the App Store after our review found content that violates our strict guidelines prohibiting child sexual abuse material," Apple wrote in a statement, per Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman. "The app was subsequently restored after the developer promptly removed the content and banned the user who posted it."

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The official Telegram app responded to Gurman's post on X with a link to its Safety Overview, which gives a summary of the amount of content Telegram deletes and bans that violate its Terms of Service.

"I'm sure this stance will be applied equally to all other apps in the store, in the future right?" read the post, tagging Apple's official account.

Telegram continued in the same tone on its main page, posting "reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated" along with an apple emoji.

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It's worth noting this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Apple pulled the Telegram app in 2018, citing "inappropriate content", before restoring it again once the issue was resolved.

If you have experienced sexual abuse, call the free, confidential National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or access the 24-7 help online by visiting online.rainn.org.