Telegram and its users are exploring methods to monetize the network. Users have used third-party payment bots to sell paid individual posts on their channels. However, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov claims that the business was forced to disable sponsored posts on iOS owing to an Apple complaint.
Durov stated that it was “amazing” that creators were earning virtually the whole amount that their followers or subscribers paid for one of their postings. “Unfortunately,” he added, “we received information from Apple that they were not pleased with content producers monetizing their work without paying a 30% tax to Apple.” “Because Apple has total control over its environment, we were forced to block such paid posts.”
The “30 percent tax” refers to Apple’s portion of in-app payments and app purchases. Many people have criticized Apple’s App Store fees, including news publishers, Spotify, and, probably most notably, Epic Games.
Durov called Apple a monopoly that “abuses its market domination at the expense of millions of users who are attempting to commercialize their own content.” He hoped that regulators in various jurisdictions would intervene “before Apple ruins more dreams and wrecks more enterprises.”
The Telegram CEO also stated that his team is working on methods to give producers with simple ways to monetize their material. He hopes to assist them in doing so “outside of Apple’s limited environment.”
Telegram launched premium features in June, starting with a $5 monthly Premium membership. This enables bigger file upload sizes, quicker downloads, the ability to follow a greater number of channels, and the ability to pin conversations. While the business hasn’t yet accepted sponsored postings, it’s interesting to see people attempting to figure out their own methods to make money on Telegram — even if Apple isn’t thrilled.
