Apple briefly removed Telegram from the App Store on Monday night after a review found the app contained child sexual abuse material (CSAM), before reinstating it once Telegram deleted the illegal content and banned the user responsible. The episode highlights the ongoing tension between platform operators and messaging apps over content moderation, and echoes a similar removal Apple carried out in 2018 for the same reason.

Apple confirmed to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman that Telegram "violates our strict guidelines prohibiting child sexual abuse material" but restored it swiftly after remedial action was taken. Telegram pushed back publicly, with its spokesperson arguing Apple was wrong to disrupt "the legitimate communication of a billion people over the actions of a single user," and noting it had removed over 337,900 CSAM-related groups and channels in 2026 alone. The app's moderation record has faced scrutiny before, including the 2024 arrest of CEO Pavel Durov by French authorities on charges linked to CSAM distribution, which prompted Telegram to disable certain misused features.