1 week ago
13
Last week,
Apple
confirmed it had pulled several apps, including
Telegram
, WhatsApp, Threads, and Signal, from its China App Store after demands from the Chinese government citing "national security" concerns.
Now
Pavel Durov
, the founder and CEO of Telegram, has weighed in on the matter, criticising Apple over its decision to remove the messaging app from the App Store in China last week.
In a post on his public Telegram channel on Monday, Durov alleged that the real target of China's crackdown was Apple itself rather than Telegram or other apps removed.
"Last week, China forced Apple to remove apps such as Telegram from its Chinese App Store. We haven't seen any decrease in downloads coming from China - and I don't think Telegram was the main target of this change," Durov wrote.
Apple said it is obligated to follow laws in countries where it operates, even if it disagrees with them. Apple explained in a statement that "The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns."
Telegram CEO blasts Apple's "walled garden" policies
Rather than criticise the actions of Chinese regulators, Durov aimed squarely at Apple and its long-standing "
walled garden
" policies around the App Store. "It was a move against Apple itself: the Chinese authorities are forcing more of their citizens to switch from iPhones to Android smartphones produced by Chinese companies such as Xiaomi," he claimed.
"Once again, Apple shot itself in the foot with its centralised 'walled garden' app policies," Durov said, referring to Apple's practice of only allowing iOS users to download apps through its official App Store. "Unlike iPhones, most Android phones allow
sideloading apps
outside app stores – such as the direct version of Telegram."
Durov predicted that due to this latest move by China, "the
iPhone market share
in China will keep shrinking." He accused Apple of "prioritising profits over freedom for users."
Chinese’ “like Telegram,” says CEO
Despite not being officially available, Telegram remains popular in China, with users accessing it via virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass internet controls. "Access to Telegram requires a VPN in China, but Chinese people are smart – they like Telegram and find a way to use it," Durov said.
He claimed downloads of Telegram in China have not dropped since Apple removed the app, though he did not provide specific figures. "We haven't seen any decrease in downloads coming from China," the CEO stated.
Meanwhile, Meta, whose two apps, WhatsApp and Threads, have been delisted, have not yet commented on the matter.
English (US) ·