Apple Finally Lifts Ban on Updates for Telegram App, CEO Pavel Durov Says

Telegram is the highly secure private messaging platform based in Russia that was recently banned in its own country in April. Since then, Apple had apparently refused to allow it to update the iOS version of the app, leading to serious consequences for the company. It would seem that the Cupertino firm recently changed its mind, however, with Telegram’s CEO saying that the ban has finally been lifted.

In being allowed to update the app, Telegram finally managed to comply with the new GDPR rules imposed by the EU, Gizmodo reports. This news came from the company's CEO, Pavel Durov, who tweeted out a thank you to Tim Cook and Apple for finally relenting on the issue.

The app needed to comply with the new privacy rules set by the EU in order to operate within the territory. Since a lot of its users reside in the EU, Telegram obviously needed to make sure that it was able to abide by the updated laws. Considering just how much the app values the privacy of its users by building its entire business format on the issue, this wasn’t likely to be difficult.

The only obstacle that was really getting in the way of Telegram’s compliance was Apple’s ban. This is no longer a problem.

As for why the ban occurred in the first place, it likely had something to do with Russia’s decision to block the app’s use in the country in April. At the time, the government wanted access to its encryption in order to find political dissidents and other unwanted characters. Telegram refused and the government retaliated.

Neither Apple nor Telegram is saying anything about what went on behind the scenes in the attempt to have the app unblocked, Engadget notes. One can only hope that it was an honest mistake on the Cupertino firm’s part and not a deliberate measure of censorship.