HONG KONG, April 23 (Reuters) - Pavel Durov, billionaire

founder and CEO of Telegram, said Apple's ( AAPL ) move last week to

remove the chat app from its China app store had not caused any

decrease in downloads from China and criticised Apple ( AAPL ) instead

for its "walled garden" app policies.

Durov published a post in his public channel on Telegram on

Monday in which he confirmed that Apple ( AAPL ) removed multiple apps

including Telegram from its App Store in China last week. Apple ( AAPL )

said the Chinese government ordered the removal, citing

"national security" concerns presented by these apps.

But Durov said Beijing's action was not a move against

Telegram but a move against Apple ( AAPL ) itself. Rather than taking

issues with the Chinese regulators, Durov focused much of his

post on criticising the iPhone maker, taking aim at Apple's ( AAPL ) app

policies.

"Once again, Apple ( AAPL ) shot itself in the foot with its

centralized 'walled garden' app policies," he said.

"Unlike iPhones, most Android phones allow sideloading apps

outside app stores - such as the direct version of Telegram - so

more users from China will migrate to Android...As a result of

this change, the iPhone market share in China will keep

shrinking."

Apple ( AAPL ) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last Friday, in addition to Telegram, Apple ( AAPL ) pulled WhatsApp,

Meta's Threads and Signal from the App Store in China.

Apple's ( AAPL ) "walled garden" app policies, which reference

Apple's ( AAPL ) long-time practice of not allowing iPhone users to

install apps from any third-party app stores, have come under

scrutiny in recent years.

Last month, Apple ( AAPL ) was forced to start allowing alternative

app stores on its devices in the European Union as the bloc's

new Digital Markets Act bars the "walled garden" practice.

Users in China have to use proxy tools such as virtual

private network (VPN) to bypass China's "Great Firewall" - the

country's extensive cybersystem of censorship - to access

Telegram. Durov said Telegram remained popular in China.

"Access to Telegram requires a VPN in China, but Chinese

people are smart - they like Telegram and find a way to use it,"

he said.