Telegram says reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated after Apple removes it from App Store

Telegram is back on the Apple App Store. Hours after the app was made unavailable globally on the platform, users can once again download it on their iPhones. Following the restoration, Telegram claimed that reports of its demise were greatly exaggerated.

In Short

• Telegram is back on Apple App Store after temporary suspension
• Telegram X account takes jibe at Apple
• Telegram has continued to be under scrutiny globally

Telegram is an app that can never get away from controversy. The messaging platform was temporarily suspended from the Apple App Store, before being restored hours later. After Telegram became available to download again on the platform, the company shared a cryptic post on X.

On X, Telegram’s official account took a subtle jibe at Apple over its temporary suspension from the App Store. The company used the famous phrase, “Reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated.” The post also had an apple emoji, likely referring to the iPhone maker.

Previously, a message on Telegram’s Apple App Store page had read, “The page you’re looking for can’t be found.” Telegram later confirmed that the app had been restored, without elaborating on the reason for its earlier absence.

Do note that it remains unclear why Apple suspended Telegram from the App Store in the first place. Apple has not commented on this matter.

Telegram founder faces arrest warrant

The brief disappearance came as Telegram and its billionaire founder and chief executive, Pavel Durov, remain under scrutiny from both Russian and Western authorities.

Durov has repeatedly run into trouble with both the Kremlin and Western officials while presenting himself as a champion of free speech. Last week, Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, accused Durov of aiding what it called terrorist activities and said it was adding his name to international wanted lists.

The Russian-born Durov responded by posting an image of himself raising a middle finger on Telegram’s official account on X. He has denounced previous Kremlin attempts to restrict Telegram as an attack on freedom of expression.

Telegram, launched in 2013, says it has more than 1 billion monthly active users worldwide. The app offers one-to-one conversations, group chats and large channels that allow people to broadcast messages to subscribers. Unlike Meta’s WhatsApp, Telegram’s group chats can include as many as 200,000 people, compared with a maximum of 1,024 for WhatsApp. Experts have raised concerns that misinformation can spread easily in such large groups.

Keep in mind that in June this year, Telegram was temporarily banned in India ahead of the NEET re-test. India was concerned that the app may be used to spread misinformation as scammers may try to sell fake NEET papers to students through it.

- Ends