Musk says Apple has threatened to block Twitter from App Store

Elon Musk targetted Apple in a series of tweets on Monday, saying that the company has threatened to block Twitter Inc from its app store without giving any reason for it.

The billionaire CEO of Twitter and Tesla also said that the iPhone maker had stopped advertising on the social media platform and was pressuring Twitter over content moderation demands.

Musk tweeted, "Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?"

While Apple hasn't commented on the matter, the company has taken similar actions in the past.

Apps such as Gab and Parler have previously been pulled from the App Store over moderation issues.

Parler, an app that is popular with US conservatives, was restored in 2021 after it updated its content and moderation practices, the companies said at the time.

He later tagged Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook's Twitter account in another tweet, asking "what's going on here?"

Twitter has seen a massive drop in revenueever since Musk took over. Several advertisers have quit the platform over hate speech concerns and confusion over how Musk plans to moderate content. Ad sales account for about 90 per centof Twitter's revenue. He has blamed activists for pressuring advertisers to pull out of the platform.

Apple spent an estimated $131,600 on Twitter ads between November 10 and November 16, down from $220,800 between October 16 and October 22, the week before Musk closed the Twitter deal, according to ad measurement firm Pathmatics.

Musk further went on to slam Apple for levying a commission on in-app purchases. Musk tweeted that Apple charges software developers up to 30 per cent fee for in-app purchases, and suggested he was willing to "go to war" with Apple than pay the commission.

The fee has invited several lawsuits from companies such as Epic Games, the maker of "Fortnite", and has also been under the radar of regulators globally. The commission could weigh on Musk's attempts to boost subscription revenue at Twitter.

(With inputs from agencies)

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