Telegram CEO accuses Apple of crippling web version of app to make money

Pavel Durov , CEO of Telegram, openly criticized Apple on his official channel on the messenger, this Monday (13). According to the executive, Apple purposefully harms the web version of Telegram on iOS, preventing certain functions from being executed correctly. In addition, Durov stated that “developers have complained that Safari is killing the internet”.

Telegram (Image: Vitor Padua/Tecnoblog)

The web version of Telegram was created to run on desktop browsers. However, Durov assures that the software also works very well on mobile devices, such as cell phones and tablets. On iPhones and iPads , however, there are limitations on certain functions of the messenger, according to the CEO.

In the message , Durov highlighted that the team responsible for developing Telegram Web listed, in April of this year, at least 10 flaws that Apple has known about for years , telegram marketing but that it deliberately refuses to fix. Among the limitations cited by the CEO are:

  • Absence of push notifications;
  • Interface bugs;
  • Problems in the context menu;
  • Random reloads;
  • Lack of support for stickers in videos;
  • Lack of support for Opus files;
  • Lack of support for reactions in messages;
  • among others.

Durov cites App Store fee as problem

 

telegram marketing

Durov believes that Apple is undermining the web versions of its software in order to force users to download native iOS apps from the App Store. This allows Apple to charge a 30% commission country wise email marketing resource on any microtransactions made in the apps.

This issue of the App Store fee even led Epic Games to sue Apple and Google in 2020. Both the creator of Fortnite and the CEO of Telegram consider the practice abusive and harmful to the industry . Durov also commented that regulatory bodies are starting to look at the situation more closely.

On his Telegram channel, the CEO shared a statement issued by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) yeezy 350 boost v2s  of the United Kingdom. The message reads as follows:

“Apple prohibits alternatives to its own browser on its mobile devices; a restriction unique to Apple. The CMA is concerned that this severely limits not only the potential for rival browsers to differentiate themselves from Safari (for example, in features such as speed and functionality), but also Apple’s incentive to invest in the browser engine.

This restriction also seriously inhibits the ability of web applications — applications that run in a browser rather than being downloaded individually — depriving consumers and businesses of the full benefits of this innovative technology.”

UK Competition and Markets Authority.

Durov concluded his message by saying, “It is sad that more than ten years after Steve Jobs’ death, the company that revolutionized the mobile web has become its biggest obstacle.”

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