Apple briefly removed Telegram from the App Store after identifying content that violated its child sexual abuse material (CSAM) policies, causing a temporary 6% drop in the Gram token before the app was restored. The messaging platform was taken down after Apple’s review flagged a violation, and it was reinstated shortly after Telegram banned the responsible user and removed the offending material.
According to a Forbes report, the removal was not merely a search glitch but a deliberate enforcement action. Telegram confirmed that a single user had shared CSAM, leading to an immediate ban. The company stated it had already removed over 337,900 CSAM-related groups and channels in 2026 alone as part of its moderation efforts. Apple said the app was restored once Telegram addressed the issue, but the brief absence triggered reports of the app missing from search results in South Korea and possibly the United States, stoking confusion among users.
The crypto market reacted swiftly: Gram (formerly TON) fell from $1.41 to $1.32 before rebounding to around $1.40, per CoinGecko. The token is deeply tied to Telegram’s ecosystem, and any disruption to the app’s availability tends to sway investor sentiment. Telegram later posted on X with a tongue-in-cheek remark: “Reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated 🍎,” and questioned whether Apple would apply the same standard to other apps.
The incident unfolded against a backdrop of legal pressures on Telegram and founder Pavel Durov. Russia’s Federal Security Service recently charged Durov with facilitating terrorism and placed him on an international wanted list; a separate French investigation continues over organized crime and CSAM; and Australia initiated Federal Court proceedings last week over violent extremist material, potentially carrying fines of up to A$54.6 million. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney criticized Apple’s move, calling for more app store competition and describing the removal as “capricious.”
