Apple pulls Telegram from App Store over CSAM content

Apple removed Telegram from the App Store on August 3, 2026, after discovering the app hosted child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The app was restored later that day after Telegram removed the offending content and banned the user who posted it, according to a statement Apple provided to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Apple said the removal was due to a violation of its strict guidelines prohibiting CSAM. Telegram responded on X, questioning whether Apple would apply the same standard to all other apps in the future, and pointed to its safety overview page, which states the platform blocks tens of thousands of groups and channels daily and removes millions of pieces of violating content. Neither Apple nor Telegram immediately responded to The Verge’s request for comment. This is not the first time Apple has taken such action; in 2018, it similarly removed Telegram over CSAM concerns. Telegram’s moderation practices have faced intense scrutiny, especially after French authorities arrested CEO Pavel Durov in 2024 and charged him with enabling illegal transactions and complicity in distributing CSAM. Following that arrest, Telegram disabled some features it said were misused and revised its approach to private chats. The brief removal highlights ongoing pressure on platforms to swiftly address CSAM, and Telegram’s public response suggests it will closely watch whether Apple enforces its policies uniformly across all apps.