Apple Inc. (AAPL) has authorized an updated version of instant messaging service Telegram. The latest move follows complain from Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov on Thursday that the iPhone maker was blocking updates in its App Store since April following the ban of Telegram service in Russia.
Durov thanked Apple on Twitter for approving an updated version of the Telegram iOS app.
Telegram previously said that all features of its service were not working properly on iPhones due to unavailability of the update. The service would have become insecure over time, if the latest version wasn’t approved, as security bugs could only be fixed through normal updates.
Apple has complete control over the apps offered through its store. It can inspect, approve or disapprove any new version of apps.
Russia banned Telegram in April after the service refused to hand over encryption keys to the authorities that would have enabled Federal Security Service to access personal data of users. Russian authorities also pressurized tech companies, including Apple, to remove the service from their respective app stores.
Apple didn’t removed Telegram from its store, but for some reason it was blocking its updated version on iOS since March not just in Russia, but across the world. This became a headache for Durov as the previous version of the app was non-compliant with the new GDPR privacy law of the European Union and Telegram could have faced heavy fines for violating the new law that went into effect last month.
Governments around the world are tightening regulations for tech companies. Apple recently banned VPN applications in China as they were violating the Chinese regulations. The company notifies developers when it removes the apps at government’s request. The company plans to disclose the number of requests for apps removals in periodic transparency reports later this year.
