Telegram delisting from App Store hits crypto traders, GRAM slides

<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr">The removal is likely to be felt most acutely among crypto traders who rely on Telegram as a primary communication and trading channel, given the app's central role in many token communities and trading groups. GRAM, the digital asset linked to the Telegram ecosystem, has already registered a modest decline on the news, reflecting some near-term uncertainty even though existing installations remain fully functional. Since new downloads and updates are frozen rather than existing access being cut off, the immediate disruption looks more operational than systemic, though a prolonged removal could pressure sentiment further if it starts to affect user growth or platform reliability on iOS. The lack of any statement from either Apple or Telegram leaves the market guessing as to whether this echoes the brief 2018 removal or reflects a more serious or lasting issue.</p><p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr">---</p><p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr"> Telegram has vanished from Apple's App Store worldwide without explanation, leaving existing users unaffected for now but blocking new downloads and updates.</p><p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr">Summary:</p><ul class="[li_&]:mb-0 [li_&]:mt-1 [li_&]:gap-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3 print:block print:space-y-1" dir="ltr"><li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Apple has removed Telegram Messenger from the iOS App Store worldwide, preventing new installs or updates, while existing installations on iPhones continue to function normally for now.</li><li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Neither Apple nor Telegram founder Pavel Durov has issued an official statement explaining the removal.</li><li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Users who delete the app from their iPhone will not be able to re-download it from the App Store, and new iPhones or iPads cannot access the official Telegram client through Apple's marketplace.</li><li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Updates, including bug fixes, performance improvements and security patches on iOS, are frozen until Apple restores the listing.</li><li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">The outage is isolated to Apple's iOS distribution; Telegram's web interface, desktop apps for macOS and Windows, and Android versions remain fully accessible.</li><li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Digital assets linked to the Telegram ecosystem saw short-term price dips as news of the delisting spread across social channels.</li><li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">The removal poses an immediate operational risk for traders, particularly in crypto, who use Telegram as their primary hub for communication and trading updates.</li></ul><p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr"> Apple has removed Telegram Messenger from the iOS App Store worldwide, cutting off new downloads and updates for the messaging app without offering any public explanation for the move.</p><p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr">The removal appears to have happened quietly, with no prior warning from either company. As of early Tuesday, searches for Telegram were returning no results across Apple's App Store in multiple regions, with official app store pages showing errors rather than the usual listing. Existing installations on users' iPhones continue to function normally for now, meaning current users are not immediately locked out of the platform or their accounts.</p><p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr">The practical restrictions, however, are significant for anyone without the app already installed, or who might delete it. Users are being warned not to uninstall Telegram from their iPhones, since doing so would leave them unable to re-download it through the App Store. Anyone setting up a new iPhone or iPad is similarly unable to fetch the official Telegram client directly from Apple's marketplace. Updates are also frozen, meaning bug fixes, performance improvements and critical security patches on iOS will not be delivered until Apple restores the listing.</p><p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr">Notably, the disruption is confined strictly to Apple's iOS distribution channel. Telegram's web interface, its standalone desktop applications for macOS and Windows, and its Android version all remain fully accessible, meaning users on other platforms are unaffected by the removal.</p><p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr">Neither Apple nor Telegram founder Pavel Durov has issued an official statement addressing the cause of the removal, leaving open questions about whether it reflects a policy dispute, a technical issue, or something more significant. The episode is not without precedent. Apple previously removed Telegram, along with its experimental Telegram X app, from the App Store in 2018 over concerns about inappropriate content circulating on the platform, before restoring both apps once additional safeguards were introduced. Separately, in April 2024, Apple removed Telegram alongside WhatsApp, Signal and Threads from the App Store in China specifically, at the request of Chinese internet regulators citing national security concerns, a move Apple said at the time it was legally obligated to comply with.</p><p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr">For now, the current removal is global in scope and has come without any accompanying statement, a departure from the more targeted, explained actions Apple has taken in the past. The uncertainty has already had some market impact, with digital assets tied to the Telegram ecosystem, including the GRAM token formerly known as TON, registering short-term price declines as news of the delisting spread across social media. The disruption carries particular significance for crypto traders and community managers who rely heavily on Telegram as their primary channel for communication and trading updates, a group for whom even a temporary inability to install or update the app on iOS represents a meaningful operational risk. With the situation still developing and no official word from either company, the extent and duration of the removal remain unclear. </p><p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr"></p><p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr"></p> This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.