Telegram is back on the App Store after Apple briefly removed it on Monday night over concerns about child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In a statement to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple says a review found that Telegram “violates our strict guidelines prohibiting child sexual abuse material,” adding that it restored the app “after the developer promptly removed the content and banned the user who posted it.”
Telegram responded to Apple’s statement in a post on X, saying: “I’m sure this stance will be applied equally to all other apps in the store, in the future, right?” Telegram also includes a link to its safety overview page, which says the messaging app “blocks tens of thousands of groups and channels daily and removes millions of pieces of content” that violate its policies.
“Apple was wrong to disrupt the legitimate communication of a billion people over the actions of a single user,” Telegram spokesperson Remi Vaughn says in a statement to The Verge. Vaughn adds that Telegram has removed more than 337,900 groups and channels related to CSAM in 2026. Users with Telegram installed could continue to access the app during the brief removal.
Update, August 4th: Added a statement from Telegram.
