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Apple has threatened to remove Twitter from the App Store, says Elon Musk

Elon Musk says Apple has threatened to pull Twitter from the App Store.

Donovan Erskine

November 28, 2022 11:55 AM

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Twitter has seen massive changes since Elon Musk took over as CEO of the social media company. Some of those changes have led advertisers to no longer buy ads on the platform. Earlier today, Elon Musk said that Apple has stopped advertising on Twitter. What’s more, Musk went on to say that Apple has even threatened to pull Twitter from its App Store altogether.

Earlier today, Elon Musk tweeted about Apple apparently ceasing its advertising on Twitter. “Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter,” he shared. “Do they hate free speech in America?” The tweet led to a lot of speculation, with some users sharing screenshots of Apple ads on Twitter from as recently as today. Things got really interesting in a follow-up tweet, where Musk states “Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why.”

If Apple is indeed considering removing Twitter from the App Store, there may be a couple of reasons why. One, the Musk recently made the controversial decision to reinstate accounts for previously banned users, including Jordan Peterson and Donald Trump. With the company’s change of philosophy in regard to who it allows on its platform, Apple could be hesitant about where it’s spending money. Twitter is also dealing with an impersonation issue, as the revamped Twitter Blue allowed anyone to purchase a checkmark, which led to some disastrous results.

This all ties into a Friday tweet in which Elon Musk said he would consider making his own phone if Apple and Google pulled Twitter from their app stores. If Apple were to actually remove Twitter from the App Store, it would be a massive blow to the social media company. Apple has yet to release a statement on Elon Musk’s comments, but we’ll be watching closely for more details.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_