According to a Telegram statement from CEO and creator Pavel Durov, a future Telegram update has been stalled in Apple’s app approval for two weeks “without explanation.” The change, he believes, is “going to transform how individuals express themselves via messaging,” although it has yet to be authorized.
Durov addressed the inexplicable snag as part of a larger criticism of app store monetization structures. He claims that the “obscure” app approval procedure “forced on all mobile applications by the tech giants” discourages Telegram. He continues, “If Telegram, one of the top ten most popular applications in the world, is getting this treatment, one can only imagine the problems faced by smaller app creators.”
It’s unclear what’s in the latest version, and neither Apple nor Telegram responded quickly to requests for comment. This isn’t the first time Durov has criticized Apple’s app approval procedures. Durov said in 2018 that Apple was restricting upgrades to the Telegram iOS app after Russia banned Telegram. Apple accepted an upgrade a day after Durov reported the problem.
Telegram just launched its $4.99 per month Premium service, which provides users with bigger uploads, quicker downloads, a voice-to-text capability, unique emoji replies, and other benefits.
