Google Removes Telegram App From Play Store on Govt Order, Apple May Follow Suit

• Google has removed Telegram from the Play Store following a government order.

• MeitY has restricted access to Telegram in India till June 22, 2026 over NEET exam concerns.

• Telegram must also disable message editing in India till June 30, according to NTA.

Google has removed messaging app Telegram from the Play Store and Apple is likely to follow suit in compliance with a government order, sources aware of the development said.

The government has ordered Google and Apple to temporarily delist Telegram app from the app stores to check paper leak during the upcoming NEET examination.

"The government has asked Google and Apple to delist the app temporarily. Google has done it. Apple will be doing it," a source said on condition of anonymity.

When checked, Google Play Store displayed the message that the app is not available.

Queries sent to Google, Apple and The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) did not elicit any immediate reply.

Acting on recommendations made by the National Testing Agency (NTA), MeitY has issued a direction under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, restricting access to the Telegram platform in India for a defined and limited period ending June 22, 2026 covering the day of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination and its immediate aftermath.

A separate direction requires Telegram to disable in India the message-editing feature for already-posted messages till June 30, addressing the specific structural feature through which the platform has been used to fabricate after-the-event "paper leak" evidence in respect of national examinations, the NTA said in a statement.