Apple blocked our service updates globally, says Telegram messaging app CEO

Apple has prevented the Telegram messaging service from updating globally ever since Russia banned the service and ordered Apple to remove it from its online store, Telegram's chief executive and founder claimed on Thursday.

Pavel Durov said on his Twitter and Telegram accounts that while the application was available from Apple, Telegram has not been able to deliver technical updates to installed versions of the product anywhere.

He wrote that without updates, Telegram would not work properly with the latest version of the iPhone operating system and it was out of compliance with the new European data privacy law. While Russia makes up 7 per cent of Telegram users, updates for all Telegram users were being restricted, Durov said.

Apple declined repeated requests for comment.

Apple's control over the apps in its store enables it to inspect and approve or disapprove of every new version, including updates that fix minor technical issues. If it does not approve an updated version of the software, it cannot be distributed through the App Store.

"Russia banned Telegram on its territory in April because we refused to provide decryption keys for all our users' communications to Russia's security agencies. We believe we did the only possible thing, preserving the right of our users to privacy in a troubled country," Durov, a pioneer of Russian social media, said on his official Telegram Channel.

"As a result, we've also been unable to fully comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for our EU-users by the deadline of May 25, 2018. We are continuing our efforts to resolve the situation," he said.