Telegram CEO says the company disabled paid posts on iOS after being told Apple was not happy with creators monetizing “without paying a 30% tax to Apple”
Context & Ripple Effects
Telegram had already challenged Apple’s distribution rules in an EU antitrust complaint over software distribution outside the App Store, while a separate dispute showed Apple’s control extended to how Telegram explained content removals. The paid-post decision places creator monetization within that longer conflict.
The move also follows reports that NFT startups limited iOS features over Apple’s in-app purchase commission and Facebook sought to route creator transactions elsewhere. Telegram is another platform adapting its iOS product to Apple’s fee policy.
First-order effects
- Telegram creators lose the paid-post option on iOS, while Telegram removes the feature that its CEO said Apple objected to because it bypassed the App Store’s 30% fee.
- Apple preserves its requirement that iOS monetization covered by its in-app purchase rules use its payment system, rather than Telegram’s paid-post flow.
Second-order effects
- Telegram creators and audiences seeking paid-post access are pushed toward non-iOS transaction paths, echoing Facebook’s earlier effort to facilitate creator transactions outside its iOS app.
- Other creator and digital-goods platforms face a sharper choice between limiting iOS functionality and accepting Apple’s commission, as the NFT startups’ restrictions illustrate.
Third-order effects
- Repeated feature limits across messaging, social, and NFT apps strengthen the case that App Store payment rules shape which business models can operate fully on iOS—a core issue in Telegram’s earlier antitrust challenge.
- If platforms continue separating iOS access from monetization, creator commerce may become less uniform across devices, with payment control remaining a central point of platform-policy scrutiny.
The trend: Creator-monetization products are increasingly being designed around App Store payment constraints, splitting iOS features from payment flows available elsewhere.