JAKARTA - Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, said that Apple's move last week to remove chat apps from app stores in China did not cause a decline in downloads from China. Instead, he criticized Apple for its "pagar garden" application policy.
Durov published a post on his public channel on Telegram on Monday 21 April in which he confirmed that Apple removed several apps including Telegram from its App Store in China last week. Apple said the Chinese government ordered the removal, citing concerns about "national security" presented by the apps.
However, Durov said Beijing's actions were not a move against Telegram but a move against Apple itself. Instead of taking issues with Chinese regulators, Durov focused most of his posts on criticizing iPhone makers, attacking Apple's app policies.
"Once again, Apple shot itself in the leg with its centralized 'pagar garden' app policy," he said.
"Unlike the iPhone, most Android phones allow app installations outside app stores like the live version of Telegram so more users from China will switch to Android... As a result of this change, the iPhone market share in China will continue to shrink," Durov said.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Durov's statement. Last Friday, apart from Telegram, Apple also withdrew WhatsApp, Meta's Threads, and Signal from the App Store in China.
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Apple's "pagar garden" application policy, which refers to Apple's old practice of not allowing iPhone users to install apps from any third-party app stores, has been in the spotlight in recent years.
Last month, Apple was forced to start allowing alternative app stores on its devices in the European Union because the bloc's new Digital Market Act prohibits the practice of "pagar gardens".
Users in China should use proxy tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs) to avoid China's "Great Firewall" a large internet sensor system in the country to access Telegram. But Durov says Telegram remains popular in China.
"Access to Telegram requires VPN in China, but Chinese people are intelligent - they like Telegram and find ways to use it," he said.
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