Apple Inc. privately warned it could remove the Grok chatbot from its App Store earlier this year after finding the service in breach of its content rules, according to a report citing a letter the company sent to United States lawmakers.
The warning followed concerns that Grok, developed by xAI, was able to generate sexualised deepfake images, including altered images of real individuals without consent. Some reported outputs involved women and minors, raising questions about compliance with child safety standards.
In its communication to lawmakers, Apple said it had reviewed both Grok and the X app and found them to be in violation of App Store guidelines. The company then asked the developers to provide “a clear plan to improve content moderation and reduce misuse,” according to the report.
Apple did not initially make the matter public. Instead, it engaged directly with the companies and began a review process that required updates to be submitted for approval.
An early update to Grok was rejected. Apple stated that the changes were “not sufficient to address the violations,” prompting further revisions. By contrast, the X app was approved after subsequent updates were found to have resolved most of the identified issues.
Apple said the changes were “not sufficient to address the violations,” according to the report.
Subsequent revisions introduced stricter controls. These included limiting access to image-generation tools and restricting edits involving real individuals. The changes were intended to reduce misuse and bring the app into compliance with Apple’s policies on non-consensual and explicit content.
The X app was later approved after meeting the required standards. Grok, however, remained under review for a longer period and required additional modifications before it was allowed to remain on the platform.
The issue emerged in January 2026, when users shared examples of Grok generating explicitly manipulated images.
While the updated version of Grok has reduced the scale of problematic outputs, concerns persist. Some users have reported that it is still possible to generate altered images that depict individuals in revealing or modified clothing by bypassing safeguards.
Elon Musk, whose companies oversee both xAI and X, has not issued a detailed public response to Apple’s actions. Instead, the companies focused on technical changes and moderation updates. X’s safety team said it had introduced “real-time monitoring and regular updates” to limit the spread of non-consensual explicit content.
Grok remains available on the App Store as of April 2026, though it continues to be subject to Apple’s review processes.
