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77777

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 25, 2024
2
0
Can Apple remove apps from my iphone, without my consent?

I have googled this and can't find a clear answer. All the posts about this are more than a decade old.

Also read the EULA but it's a bunch of lawyer jargon so I don't really understand it.

Asking because there are rumors Apple will remove the Telegram app from the apple store, after the arrest of Durov.
 

77777

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 25, 2024
2
0
No, they can't and won't.
That's from 2021 but thank you.

So to verify, Apple has no legal rights and will not delete an app from our iphone.

I know they can delete from the Apple Store, of course. But most important is whether than can remove an app from our phone. Seems like it would be illegal for them to do so.
 

now i see it

macrumors G4
Jan 2, 2002
11,239
24,220
They can and do remove apps from the App Store all the time - but not from the iPhone.
The Telegram encrypted messaging app requires its dedicated data center/s to run it. It’s possible that the service could get shut down - then the app won’t work for anyone though it will still reside on the phone
 

Shirasaki

macrumors P6
May 16, 2015
16,249
11,745
In theory Apple has all the tools and various ways to remove anything from your iPhone without your consent, going as far as remotely wiping your device, by Apple (so not find my stuff initiated by the user). All I can say is Apple is unlikely going that far just to remove that one app from your iPhone.
 

BenGoren

macrumors 6502a
Jun 10, 2021
502
1,427
Can Apple remove apps from my iphone, without my consent?

This is a very broadly-worded, open-ended question … and, almost always, the only truthful answer is some variation on, “Anything is possible.” Could an apple fall up from the tree? Well, glue a couple firecrackers to it …

As a practical matter, though, Apple has never done this nor expressed any intention or desire to do so.

(There might be some footnote about malware, but that would fall under the “stick firecrackers in an apple” category.)

Asking because there are rumors Apple will remove the Telegram app from the apple store, after the arrest of Durov.

It will take much more just than the arrest of the CEO for Apple to remove Telegram from the store. At a minimum, Apple would have to determine that the app violates Apple’s terms of service, and I’ve not heard any hint that it does so. A court might be able to order Apple to remove it, but the closest parallel there I can think of is TikTok, and that’s requiring a literal act of Congress that still hasn’t finished.

Assuming Telegram relies on some sort of centralized service, your biggest worry should be that service shutting down — whether because French commandoes have seized its servers, or the French government has seized the company’s assets (so it’s now bankrupt and can’t pay its bills), or whatever. But, even then, the more likely scenario is that the company simply shuts down, the developers all lose their jobs, and the app never gets any new updates.

Apps that don’t get updates keep working … indefinitely … until they break. You know how all your software keeps getting updates? Some of those updates are for features; others are for bugs; still others are for compatibility with new operating system releases. So, eventually, there would be a new feature you’d like but couldn’t get; there’d be some bug that’s a problem for you that doesn’t get fixed; or there’s a new version of iOS that, if you installed it, would break the app. (And the “bug” category includes newly-discovered security flaws, so don’t overlook it.)

How long the app would remain viable without ongoing support is anybody’s guess. Could be days, could be decades — but probably a couple years or so.

b&
 

FreakinEurekan

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
6,456
3,332
Can Apple remove apps from my iphone, without my consent?

I have googled this and can't find a clear answer. All the posts about this are more than a decade old.

Also read the EULA but it's a bunch of lawyer jargon so I don't really understand it.

Asking because there are rumors Apple will remove the Telegram app from the apple store, after the arrest of Durov.
it’s highly unlikely - but technically and legally possible. I suppose Apple “might” remove an app, if the app was shown to be malicious for example.

As for Telegram I don’t see it happening.
 
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