Apple Removes Telegram From App Store Worldwide

Telegram Messenger was temporarily removed from Apple’s App Store in several countries late Monday, preventing new users from downloading the messaging platform and blocking reinstalls for users who had previously deleted the app.  

This global delisting caused widespread confusion on the social media platform X, where users shared screenshots of App Store messages that read, “This app is currently not available.” In some regions, Telegram’s official App Store link returned a “page not found” error.  

Apple Removes Telegram

The outage reportedly began around 9:59 p.m. EST and affected users in the United States and other markets. Despite the removal, Telegram, which claims to have more than one billion monthly active users, remained operational for individuals who already had the application installed on their iPhones and iPads.  

Current users could continue sending messages, accessing channels, and using Telegram’s other services during the incident. The disruption was limited to new downloads and attempts to reinstall the app, temporarily preventing prospective users from obtaining it through Apple’s storefront.  

Apple later confirmed that it had briefly removed Telegram after an App Review process identified content that violated its policies against child sexual abuse material (CSAM), as reported by CSN.

An Apple spokesperson stated, “We briefly removed Telegram from the App Store after our review found content that violates our strict guidelines prohibiting child sexual abuse material.” The app was restored after the developer promptly removed the offending content and banned the user who posted it.  

Telegram confirmed the restoration through its official channels, stating that the application had returned to the App Store and would soon be available to all users.

The company’s account on X also posted: “Reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated.” Independent checks conducted after the announcement indicated that Telegram was again searchable and downloadable through Apple’s App Store.  

This is not the first time Telegram has faced removal from Apple’s marketplace. In February 2018, Apple temporarily pulled Telegram from the App Store globally after identifying inappropriate content distributed via channels hosted on the platform. The messaging service was restored after Telegram introduced additional safeguards.  

Telegram has also faced regional App Store restrictions. In 2024, Apple removed Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, and Threads from China’s App Store following an order from Chinese authorities. Those restrictions were tied to local cybersecurity and content control requirements.  

This incident highlights the operational risk posed by platform moderation failures to widely used communication services. While end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms may protect private conversations, public channels, groups, and user-generated content can create significant trust-and-safety challenges.  

Telegram has been under increasing regulatory pressure globally over allegations that it has not adequately addressed extremist, criminal, and harmful content on its platform. The company and its founder, Pavel Durov, have also faced legal scrutiny in various jurisdictions, including Russia and Australia.  

Apple’s statement indicates that the latest removal was neither a technical outage nor a broad policy action against Telegram. Instead, it was a response to a specific content violation that Telegram addressed by removing the material and banning the responsible account.  

This brief delisting underscores how quickly an App Store enforcement action can disrupt new user acquisition and reinstallation access, even when a service’s existing user base remains unaffected.

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