Last week, Apple was forced by the Chinese government to pull four apps from the App Store in China: Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Threads.
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has now responded to the situation, arguing that Apple was the real target of China’s request. There are more than a few problems with this spin, though…
In a statement to 9to5Mac last week, Apple explained that it is obligated to follow the laws in countries where it operates. This includes China, which cited national security concerns in its request to Apple:
“We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” says Apple. “The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns. These apps remain available for download on all other storefronts where they appear.”
On Monday, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov took to his Telegram channel to argue that Apple was the target of the Chinese government’s requests, not Telegram itself. Essentially, his spin on the situation boils down to Apple being the bad guys:
Telegram is the #1 most downloaded mobile app in China on Android, according to Google Play. Access to Telegram requires a VPN in China, but Chinese people are smart – they like Telegram and find a way to use it.
Last week, China forced Apple to remove apps such as Telegram from its Chinese App Store. We haven’t seen any decrease in downloads coming from China – and I don’t think Telegram was the main target of this change.
It was a move against Apple itself: the Chinese authorities are forcing more of their citizens to switch from iPhones to Android smartphones produced by Chinese companies such as Xiaomi.
These claims are perplexing because Telegram, Signal, and other apps are also not available via the Google Play Store or any other Android app store in China. In reality, Apple held out as long as possible before ultimately being forced by the Chinese government to remove these apps.
Durov also claims in his message that Telegram is the “#1 most downloaded mobile app in China on Android, according to Google Play.” He further says that Telegram hasn’t seen “any decrease in downloads coming from China.”
These claims, again, can’t be true because Telegram isn’t available on the Google Play Store.
9to5Mac’s Take
Reuters picked up this story earlier today, and while reading it I was struck by the lack of nuance in Durov’s messaging and in the Reuters coverage.
Durov argues that the Chinese government is more supportive of Android devices because they are “forcing more of their citizens to switch from iPhones to Android smartphones produced by Chinese companies.” Again, this is part of his justification for the claim that Apple was the target of China’s decision last week rather than Telegram itself.
Unlike iPhones, most Android phones allow sideloading apps outside app stores – such as the direct version of Telegram – so more users from China will migrate to Android.
Once again, Apple shot itself in the foot with its centralized “walled garden” app policies. As a result of this change, the iPhone market share in China will keep shrinking. Prioritizing profits over freedom for users is not a good long-term strategy.
As Durov points out, it’s true that Android users can (and do) download Telegram and side-load it onto their devices. They can then access the service with a VPN. This makes Durov’s argument pretty ironic when you really think about it.
Android lets users side-load apps that the Chinese government is trying to ban, something the Chinese government would obviously prefer is not possible. China wants a closed system, not an open system.
Durov is correct that China does want people buying Android phones made by local manufacturers, but side-loading is not one of the reasons for that.
All of this to say: Durov’s argument that Apple was the target of China’s request to remove Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp, and Threads is nonsensical. Durov has a history of being ultra-critical of Apple, so I can’t say it’s surprising to see him take this stance.
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