Telegram CEO Blasts Apple for Delaying App Update

Pavel Durov, the CEO and founder of encrypted messaging app Telegram, has slammed Apple for a delay in reviewing and approving a major new update to the app “without explanation,” iMore is reporting.

Durov says the upcoming Telegram update will “revolutionize how people express themselves in messaging.” However, he continued that he finds it discouraging that he is often “unable to distribute the new versions of Telegram” due to the obscure “review process.”

“For example, our upcoming update – which is about to revolutionize how people express themselves in messaging – has been stuck in Apple’s “review” for two weeks, without explanation or any feedback provided by Apple,” Durov noted.

Telegram’s update has been stuck in Apple’s “review” for two weeks, without any word from the App Store.

If Telegram, one of the top 10 most popular apps globally, gets this treatment from Apple, imagine the difficulties faced by smaller app developers.https://t.co/c0l6OHUbwy

— Pavel Durov (@durov) August 10, 2022

He added that such delays were not only demoralizing but also cause “direct financial losses to hundreds of thousands of mobile apps globally.”

He said that this harm was added to the 30% commission fees charged by Apple and Google which ” is supposed to pay for the resources needed to review apps.” Durov went on to say that “the economic damage that has already been inflicted by Apple on the tech industry won’t be undone.”

Earlier this year, Durov called for governments to take action against Apple because it won’t let alternative browser engines operate on its mobile devices.