Telegram still being downloaded in China despite its removal from the Apple App Store

Pavel Durov, billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, said Apple’s move last week to remove the chat app from its China app store had not caused any decrease in downloads from China and criticized Apple instead for its “walled garden” app policies, reports Reuters.

Telegram is a cloud-based, cross-platform, encrypted instant messaging service. It allows users to exchange messages, share media and files, and hold private and group voice or video calls as well as public livestreams. Telegram is available for macOS, iOS, Android, Windows, and Linux platforms, as well as web browsers. 

Durov published a post in his public channel on Telegram on Monday in which he confirmed that Apple removed multiple apps including Telegram from its App Store in China last week. Apple said the Chinese government ordered the removal, citing “national security” concerns presented by these apps. However, Durov said Beijing’s action was a move against Apple itself. 

“Once again, Apple shot itself in the foot with its centralized ‘walled garden’ app policies,” he said. “Unlike iPhones, most Android phones allow sideloading apps outside app stores — such as the direct version of Telegram — so more users from China will migrate to Android…As a result of this change, the iPhone market share in China will keep shrinking.”