Apple temporarily removed Telegram from its App Store on August 3 after finding child sexual abuse material on the messaging service, according to statements reported by Reuters. The app returned the same day after Telegram removed the material and banned the user who posted it.
“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.
The company said Telegram’s response allowed the app to be restored promptly. The temporary removal prevented new App Store downloads and reinstalls during the disruption.
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Apple requires platforms carrying user-generated content to provide filtering systems, reporting mechanisms, timely responses, and tools for blocking abusive users. Its App Review Guidelines allow apps to be removed when their content or moderation systems violate those requirements.
The enforcement action therefore targeted Telegram as the distributor of the service rather than limiting the penalty to the account responsible for the prohibited material.
Telegram says it has more than one billion monthly active users and operates a zero-tolerance policy toward child sexual abuse material. The company reported blocking nearly 338,000 related groups and channels during 2026.
Its safety disclosures say Telegram combines user reports with automated monitoring and checks publicly shared images against databases of previously identified material.
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The company has maintained that detection systems introduced in 2018 have “virtually eliminated” the public spread of such material on Telegram. That position is being tested by regulators.
Britain’s Ofcom opened an investigation on April 21, 2026, into whether Telegram has complied with duties under the Online Safety Act to prevent, mitigate, and rapidly remove child sexual abuse material. Ofcom said it relied on its own assessment and evidence from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
No violation has been formally established and Telegram has denied the regulator’s allegations. A confirmed violation could expose Telegram to a penalty of up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner separately fined Telegram A$957,780 in February 2025 after the company submitted required information about its safety systems 160 days late. The penalty concerned Telegram’s delayed regulatory response rather than a finding that it knowingly distributed illegal material.
TechCrunch reported that Apple previously removed Telegram from the App Store in 2018 over what founder Pavel Durov initially described as “inappropriate content.” Reports later identified the issue as child abuse material. Telegram was restored after introducing additional safeguards.
The latest incident ended within one day, but it left the central distribution imbalance unchanged. Telegram controls its network and moderation systems. Apple controls whether iPhone users can newly download the application used to reach them.
Telegram responded publicly with a challenge to Apple’s consistency, writing, “I’m sure this stance will be applied equally to all other apps in the store, in the future, right? Apple.”
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, whose company has fought Apple over App Store distribution and payment rules, also questioned whether the same standard could be applied consistently across large communications platforms.
“They did not elaborate on how, if that is the standard for app removal, any communications app could operate at scale, including iMessage,” Sweeney wrote, according to Reuters.
Apple’s latest App Store Transparency Report shows the company removed 166,899 apps in 2025. Of those, 241 removals cited its user-generated-content guideline, while 360 cited rules governing sexual and pornographic content.
