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

(Reuters)- Elon Musk accused Apple Inc. (AAPL.O) Twitter threatened to block Twitter Inc. from its app store without giving a reason in a series of tweets on Monday that also stated the iPhone maker had stopped advertising on the social media platform.

The billionaire CEO of Twitter and Tesla also said that Apple was pressuring Twitter regarding content moderation demands.

The action, not confirmed by Apple, would not be unusual, as the company routinely applies its rules that have led to the removal of apps like Gab and Parler, popular among American conservatives.

Parler was reinstated by Apple in 2021 after the app updated its content and moderation practices, the companies said at the time.

"Apple has practically stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate freedom of speech in the United States?" said Musk, who shut down Twitter for $44 billion last month.

Later, he tagged Apple CEO Tim Cook's Twitter account in another tweet , asking "what's going on here?"

Musk also said "yes" in response to a user question about whether Apple was threatening Twitter's presence on the App Store or making moderation demands.

Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The world's most valuable company spent approximately $131.600 on Twitter ads between November 10 and November 16, down from $220.800 between October 16 and 22, a week before Musk closed the deal with Twitter, according to ad measurement firm Pathmatics.

A growing list of companies, from General Mills Inc. (GIS.N) The luxury car manufacturer Audi of America has halted or stopped advertising on Twitter since the acquisition.

Musk, who calls himself an absolutist of free speech, said Earlier this month, Twitter reported a "massive" drop in revenue and blamed activist groups for pressuring advertisers. Advertising sales account for approximately 90% of Twitter's revenue.

The platform has reinstated the accounts of former US President Donald Trump, as well as those of comedian Kathy Griffin and US House Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, in recent days.

Trump's reinstatement prompted a coalition of civil rights activists to say last week that they were asking Twitter advertisers to make statements about pulling their ads from the platform.

In a presentation to advertisers in May, some advertising agencies and brands were already skeptical about concerns that Musk would reduce content moderation and security protections on the platform.