Surely, they are the smartest species to ever walk the earth, but despite everything, human beings just cannot keep themselves from making a mistake. This fact, in particular, has already been proven quite a few times throughout our history, with each testimony practically forcing us to look for a defensive cover. To the world’s credit, we’ll solve our conundrum in the most fitting manner possible, and we’ll do so by bringing dedicated regulatory bodies into the fold. Having a well-defined authority across each and every area was a game-changer, as it instantly concealed our many shortcomings, therefore giving us a chance at all those possibilities that we couldn’t have imagined otherwise. Unfortunately, the utopia didn’t last for very long, and if we are to tell you why, the answer will keep technology at the heart of everything. The reason why technology is the ultimate culprit here is because of its layered nature, which allowed people to exploit others for their own benefit. In case this didn’t sound bad enough, the whole runner soon began to materialize on such a massive scale that it expectantly overwhelmed our governing forces and sent them back to the drawing board. After spending a long time in the wilderness, though, it seems like the regulatory contingent is finally ready to make a comeback. The same has gotten increasingly evident over the recent past, and maybe not in the most direct way, but Telegram’s latest move only takes us closer to a more tightly-regulated tech space. However, whether this one will be for good or bad is something that remains to be seen.
Telegram has officially revoked the option for iOS users to create pay-to-view posts. The decision is, of course, orchestrated by App Store’s new set of guidelines that prohibit you from using third-party payment systems to complete a transaction, exactly what Telegram was trying to do or was it? Well, that’s how it looked initially, but according to a statement from the company’s CEO, Pavel Durov, Telegram was never involved in the development or implementation of such a feature. Instead, the option was actually a result of various creators using third-party donation bots to add paywall to their posts. Whoever might be the instigator, though, the feature was quick to rub Apple the wrong way, as it would keep the tech behemoth from getting its flat 30% share on every transaction, thus playing a big role in the eventual rule change.
“This is just another example of how a trillion-dollar monopoly abuses its market dominance at the expense of millions of users who are trying to monetize their own content,” said Durov.
Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first time Telegram has been so open with its criticism of Apple. Only a few months ago, Durov slammed the latter for delaying one of Telegram’s updates by multiple weeks just because of a new Telemoji, which was designed to dress up standard emojis with fun animations. Another example of the tension between these two companies appeared when Telegram offered a $1 discount on its Premium Subscription, if the user purchases it through the platform’s desktop website, as the payments there aren’t subject to Apple’s commission.