Telegram restored to App Store hours after Apple removal

Apple has restored Telegram to its App Store just hours after temporarily removing the messaging platform over content that violated its child safety policies.

The iPhone maker said the app was taken down after an App Store review identified material that breached its rules on child sexual abuse content. Apple reinstated Telegram the same day after the company removed the offending content and permanently banned the user responsible.

"During our review, we found content that clearly violated our child safety policies," an Apple spokesperson said, adding that the app returned once corrective action was taken.

Telegram, which has more than one billion monthly active users, said it maintains a zero-tolerance policy on child sexual abuse material and has shut down nearly 338,000 groups and channels this year for violating its rules.

The company questioned Apple's enforcement, posting on X that it expects the same standards to be applied across all messaging platforms.

The incident revived comparisons with Telegram's brief App Store removal in 2018 over similar concerns.

The move also drew criticism from Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, who argued that penalising an entire platform over the actions of a single user raises questions about Apple's moderation standards.

Telegram is facing increasing regulatory scrutiny worldwide, including investigations in the UK and enforcement action in Australia over its handling of illegal content.