After introducing its premium feature where users would be able to sell paid posts on their channels, Telegram discontinued the feature on iOS as the company received a complaint from Apple.
(Photo: Yuri Kadobanov/AFP via Getty Images)
An illustration photo taken through the magnifying glass shows the icon of the popular messaging app Telegram on a smart phone screen on April 17, 2018 in Moscow. Russia’s communications watchdog began blocking access to the popular messaging app Telegram today after a court banned the service for denying security services access to private conversations.
Disabling Paid Posts on iOS
Based on a report from Engadget, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said that Apple’s complaint caused the company to discontinue its premium services. The company has no option but to disable this feature as Apple has complete control over its ecosystem. Durov described the situation as an abuse of a trillion-dollar monopoly for its market dominance by causing users to monetize their content.
Apple requires a 15% or 30% commission when purchasing an App Store tax. Since Telegram uses a third-party payment method, Apple filed a complaint and was not happy with the situation as it appeared that Telegram bypassed Apple’s in-app purchases. These fees were heavily criticized by several apps such as Spotify, publishers, and most recently, Epic Games.
Durov expects regulators in the EU, India and around the world to step in with what Apple is doing to the market as it destroys entrepreneurs’ dreams with its App Store tax fee that is not imposed by any government. Much more than VAT.
What will happen next?
Telegram’s paid feature was recently introduced in June and costs $5 monthly for a premium subscription. 9To5Mac reported that the feature allows creators to charge people for viewing more exclusive content on their channels, giving opportunities to some entrepreneurs.
However, it was not yet launched to the public and is still being tested by several developers on the platform. Although Telegram did not confirm this, the app’s move to use a third-party payment method was actually a strategy to bypass the App Store’s in-app purchases and not pay tax fees for each sale.
The CEO said the company is working on other ways for creators using iOS to continue their operations and is ready to help them make money from their content without using Apple’s restrictive ecosystem.
Also read: Telegram Officially Introduces Its Paid Feature, What To Expect
Telegram and Apple are in a long-running battle after Durov criticized Apple for having “vague” rules in its App Store. MacRumors reported that the process for its App Store review Telegram has delayed releasing an update for its app, prompting a rebuke from the CEO. The goal of this update was to “revolutionize the way people express themselves in messaging”.
Apart from the long process of review During the two weeks that lasted, no information was given from the company regarding the approval of the update.
A few days later, the update has been approved, with the exception of Telegram’s approval of Telemoji, which is very similar to Apple’s emoji. It was planned to be released by Telegram during the update, but according to Apple’s App Store guidelines, it doesn’t allow other apps to make exact copies of their emoji.
RELATED ARTICLE: Apple vs Telegram: The App Store Finally Approved Its Major Update! Why did it take so long?
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Written by Eno Flores
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