Fact check: Apple is not removing Telegram messaging app from iPhones
The claim: Apple is removing the Telegram messaging app from iPhones
An old hoax claiming Apple is removing a popular private messaging app from iPhones has again started to circulate on social media.
A Facebook post published Jan. 28 claims Telegram "announced that Apple will remove" the app from the company's phones.
"Telegram announced that to prevent this, apply the mentioned settings," the post reads.
The text is accompanied by screenshots that purportedly guide Telegram users on how to make sure the app isn't deleted.
There have been other variations of this claim, with some Facebook users saying Apple announced it will be removing Telegram from iPhones.
Fact check: False claim that Apple banned dating app Grindr from its App Store
But spokespeople from both companies told Paste BN this claim is inaccurate. Apple is not removing the messaging app from iPhones.
Paste BN reached out to social media users who shared the post for comment.
Telegram, Apple refute claims
The rumor in the social media posts appears to stem from a lawsuit filed Jan. 17 by Marc Ginsberg, president of Coalition for a Safer Web, a nonprofit that aims to remove extremist speech from social media.
The nonprofit sued Apple, demanding it remove Telegram from its App Store for failing to crack down on violent conversation in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to the Washington Post.
However, Apple has not removed the app from its App Store. Officials from both companies said the claims on social media are baseless.
"The claim is false," Remi Vaughn, a spokesperson for Telegram, told Paste BN in a direct message.
In a statement emailed to Paste BN, a spokesperson for Apple also said the claim is false.
Apps in the company's App Store must comply with the App Store Review Guidelines. If Apple finds an app violates the rules, it will notify the developer and work with them to address the issue. In some cases, Apple will remove the app from its store.
Fact check: Cellphone users need service or Wi-Fi to change voicemail in weather emergency
When an app is removed, customers who have previously downloaded the app will continue to have access to it so long as they don’t delete it themselves, the Apple spokesperson told Paste BN.
The screenshots in the Facebook posts show the iOS Screen Time Content & Privacy Restrictions settings, according to the Apple Support website. These settings are for managing personal device usage.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Apple is removing the Telegram messaging app from iPhones. Spokespeople from both companies said Apple is not removing the Telegram app from iPhones.
Our fact-check sources:
- Coalition for a Safer Web, accessed Oct. 1, Lawsuit against Apple
- Washington Post, Jan. 17, 2021, Apple sued by group insisting it curb Telegram after Capitol attack
- Remi Vaughn, Sept. 28, Direct message exchange with Paste BN
- Apple spokesperson, Oct. 1, Emailed statement to Paste BN
- Check Your Fact, Sept. 26, Fact check: Did Telegram announce Apple will remove its app from phones?
- Telegram, accessed Oct. 1, Articles covering Telegram
- Apple Newsroom, accessed Oct. 1, Latest news
- Apple Developer, accessed Oct. 1, App Store Review Guidelines
- Apple Support, accessed Oct. 1, Set Content & Privacy Restrictions
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.
Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.