Telegram removes paywall posts from iOS app, report

Telegram CEO, Pavel Durov, said users have been using pay-to-view and donation bots to set up paywall posts, which Apple did not approve 

Telegram removed pay-to-view posts that allowed users on its iOS app to monetize posts, according to a report from 9to5Mac.

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The report stated Telegram had been testing a paid posts feature. But had to remove it due to Apple’s strict App Store guidelines that do not allow developers to use third-party payment processors.

In a statement to 9to5Mac, Telegram said that the platform was not testing the feature and users had been taking advantage of third-party payment bots to add paywall posts.

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, in a post, said creators on the platform have been using third-party payment or donation bots to sell access to certain posts and that, Apple was “not happy with content creators monetizing their efforts without paying a 30% tax to Apple.”

Durov also called upon regulators in the EU and India to take action against Apple for its high commission fee in its App Store policy that he says “destroys more dreams and crushes more entrepreneurs with a tax that is higher than any government-levied VAT.”

Earlier this year, Durov criticised Apple, blaming it for delaying updates for weeks.