Telegram says Apple suspension followed content norms violation by one user

Telegram, which has more than a billion monthly active users, says it has a zero-tolerance policy for material on child sexual abuse, blocking nearly 338,000 groups and channels over such items this year.

"I'm sure this stance will be applied equally to all other apps in the store, in the future, right? Apple," Telegram posted on X in response to a user who shared the Apple statement.

Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Fornite-maker Epic Games, which has been embroiled in legal challenges with Apple for years, questioned the U.S. tech giant's decision.

"Apple has stated they removed the app from availability to a billion users because a Telegram user posted something horrible and illegal," Sweeney wrote on X.

"They did not elaborate on how, if that is the standard for app removal, any communications app could operate at scale, including iMessage."

An Apple spokesperson did not respond to a request for further comment on the guideline violation.