Telegram briefly pulled from App Store over CSAM, then restored

Apple temporarily pulled the popular messaging app Telegram from its App Store across multiple regions on Monday, August 3, 2026, after discovering content that violated its strict guidelines against child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The app was restored later the same evening once Telegram removed the offending content and banned the responsible user.

Users in numerous countries reported that searches for Telegram on the iOS and iPadOS App Store returned no results, and direct links to the app page showed errors or indicated the page could not be found. Independent monitors, including Apple Censorship, confirmed the listing was unavailable across all or nearly all of the roughly 175 App Store storefronts worldwide during the outage. Existing installations continued to function normally for messaging, notifications, and chats. New downloads, reinstalls, and updates were blocked. The app remained available on the Mac App Store and Google Play throughout.

In a statement to 9to5Mac and AppleInsider, Apple confirmed: “We briefly removed Telegram from the App Store after our review found content that violates our strict guidelines prohibiting child sexual abuse material. The app was subsequently restored after the developer promptly removed the content and banned the user who posted it.” The restoration occurred around 10:10–11:00 p.m. ET on August 3, with full availability returning in most regions shortly afterward (mainland China remained an exception, as Telegram has long been unavailable there).

Telegram responded on X with a light-hearted post quoting Mark Twain: “Reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated 🍎.”

The company later stated that the app had been restored and “should soon be available again for all users,” though some reports noted temporary delays in search visibility during the rollout. Telegram has not issued a detailed public comment on the specific content involved.

This marks the latest brief App Store disruption for Telegram. In 2018, Apple temporarily removed both Telegram and Telegram X over similar concerns about inappropriate content; the apps returned after the company implemented additional safeguards. The platform has also faced regional restrictions in the past, including temporary actions in China and elsewhere related to regulatory pressures.

Telegram, known for its emphasis on privacy and large public channels/groups, continues to operate normally for existing users on iOS and remains fully available on Android. Apple’s swift action and restoration show their zero-tolerance stance on CSAM while allowing rapid recovery once violations are addressed.