Telegram has filed a complaint with the European Commission against Apple, saying the company's app store policies distort competition, The Financial Times reported.
Echoing concerns voiced earlier by Spotify, Netflix and other apps, Telegram founder Pavel Durov said in a blog post that Apple charges too high a commission for developers publishing apps in its App Store. This reduces their resources available for development and raises the cost for end-users, often leading to more ads in apps.
Furthermore, Apple "censors" certain content in apps, without allowing developers to tell users some content is unavailable due to Apple's policy. Furthermore, the requirement to set up an Apple account before users can download an app is a breach of privacy, Telegram said.
The company wants iPhone users to be able to install its app outside the App Store. It also wants to push updates to users faster, rather than having to wait for Apple's team to vet the software first.
The European Commission launched a competition investigation last month into Apple's app store practices. Apple has defended its policy, while also recently opening up to give developers more say on the platform.
