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Telegram Briefly Removed from App Store After Apple Detects Child Sexual Abuse Material

Telegram was temporarily pulled from the App Store in multiple countries after Apple moderators identified content linked to child sexual abuse. The removal lasted roughly 20 minutes before the app was reinstated following Telegram's quick removal of the prohibited material and blocking of the responsible user. Apple cited strict App Store rules as the reason for the action. During the outage, already-installed copies continued to function normally while the app remained available via the Mac App Store and Google Play. Telegram responded on X with the quote “Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated” before Apple issued its official explanation. This marks at least the third documented instance of Telegram facing App Store removal, including a 2018 incident over unacceptable content and a 2024 removal from the Chinese store at the request of local regulators.

AntiMalwareTranslated from Russian

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Telegram was briefly removed from the App Store in several countries, triggering speculation about new blocks or regulatory pressure on the messaging app.

Approximately 20 minutes after the disappearance, Apple clarified that moderators had found content involving child sexual abuse. The company stated it had temporarily delisted Telegram for violating App Store guidelines. The application was restored once developers removed the prohibited material and blocked the account responsible for posting it.

While Apple prepared its statement, Telegram posted on X: “Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” The company has not yet commented on the specific incident. Users who already had the app installed could continue using it without interruption. The service also remained accessible through the Mac App Store and Google Play.

Search results for the iPhone and iPad versions were affected in multiple regions. This is not the first time Telegram has faced sudden removal from Apple’s storefront. In 2018 the app was temporarily delisted over unacceptable content, and in 2024 it was removed from the Chinese App Store following a request from local regulators.

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