Telegram ban in India sparks a rush to VPNs, rival apps
Key takeaways
- As India cut off access to messaging app Telegram for a week over concerns about exam-related fraud, users turned to virtual private networks (VPNs) and alternative messaging apps in unusually large numbers.
- App intelligence firm Appfigures told Tech Crunch that Tuesday, the day India announced the Telegram restriction, marked the biggest day for VPN app downloads in the country since at least the start of 2025.
- Proton VPN and Turbo VPN recorded some of the largest increases.
As India cut off access to messaging app Telegram for a week over concerns about exam-related fraud, users turned to virtual private networks (VPNs) and alternative messaging apps in unusually large numbers.
App intelligence firm Appfigures told Tech Crunch that Tuesday, the day India announced the Telegram restriction, marked the biggest day for VPN app downloads in the country since at least the start of 2025. Downloads of major VPN apps rose 49% from a recent daily average of 139,000 to 208,000, the firm said.
Proton VPN and Turbo VPN recorded some of the largest increases. Downloads of Proton VPN on Apple s App Store in India jumped 113%, while Turbo VPN downloads rose 85%. On Google Play, downloads of Proton VPN climbed 64% and Turbo VPN downloads increased 35%. NordVPN s App Store downloads increased 41%, while ExpressVPN downloads on Google Play rose 31%.