Elon Musk has claimed that Apple is threatening to remove Twitter from its App Store and has criticized the company for doing so, describing these rumors as censorship. He also said that iPhone makers have withdrawn most of their advertising spending from the social media company.
“Apple has also threatened to stop Twitter from its App Store, but isn’t telling us why”,
Musk said on Monday.
In another tweet, he asked:
Who else has Apple censored? https://t.co/lZculFIkAX
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
Apple is one of Twitter’s biggest advertisers, with the company spending roughly $39 million on advertising on the platform in the first 10 months of this year, which is before Mr. Musk’s takeover, according to the latest data available on MediaRadar.
Last week, Apple CEO Phil Schiller, who runs the company’s App Store, deactivated his Twitter account, which he had been using to promote Apple products. Also last week, Mr. Musk said he would make his own smartphone if Apple and Google excluded Twitter from their app stores.
A number of other software developers, including Spotify, have sharply criticized the way Apple runs its App Store, and are urging governments around the world to force the company to loosen controls on software distribution. New legislation in the European Union could force Apple to allow users to access third-party-run app stores and allow them to download apps outside their store. The legislation is due to come into force next year.
On Monday, Elon Musk repeated his criticism of Apple’s software fees, tweeting, “Did you know Apple imposes a 30% secret tax on everything you buy through their App Store?”