14 DAY TRIAL // Apple being accused of blocking app updates isn’t something uncommon, as even the big developers out there have blasted the company on several occasions for making it hard to bring major improvements to users.
This time, it’s the turn of Telegram, as the founder of the company says a major update for the messaging platform is currently blocked in Apple’s update review phase without any specifications.
Pavel Durov says Apple’s behavior is “demoralizing,” as in many cases, it causes financial losses to developers.
“The only thing that we find discouraging is that we're often unable to distribute the new versions of Telegram due to the obscure "review process" imposed on all mobile apps by the tech monopolies. For example, our upcoming update – which is about to revolutionize how people express themselves in messaging – has been stuck in Apple's "review" for two weeks, without explanation or any feedback provided by Apple,” Durov explains in a recent post on his Telegram channel.
“If Telegram, one of the top 10 most popular apps globally, is receiving this treatment, one can only imagine the difficulties experienced by smaller app developers. It's not just demoralizing: it causes direct financial losses to hundred of thousands of mobile apps globally.”
Needless to say, Durov also blasts Apple and Google for the 30 percent fee enforced on app developers whose software is listed on the App Store and the Google Play Store, respectively.
“This harm goes on top of the 30% tax Apple and Google take from app developers – which, according to them, is supposed to pay for the resources needed to review apps. The regulators in the EU and elsewhere are slowly starting to look into these abusive practices. But the economic damage that has already been inflicted by Apple on the tech industry won't be undone,” Durov says.