India's government blocked Telegram for a week due to exam-related fraud concerns.
"Users flock to VPNs as Telegram ban sparks outrage. Alternative apps see surge in downloads."
The move, which started on June 16, has led to a significant increase in downloads of virtual private networks (VPNs) and alternative messaging apps. According to app intelligence firm Appfigures, Tuesday marked the biggest day for VPN app downloads in the country since at least the start of 2025, with major VPN apps seeing a 49% rise in downloads.
Downloads of Proton VPN and Turbo VPN recorded some of the largest increases, with Proton VPN's Apple App Store downloads jumping 113% and Turbo VPN's downloads rising 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%. The surge also pushed several VPN services up India's app-store charts, with Proton VPN climbing from 18th to 5th in Apple's Utilities rankings between June 16 and June 18.
The Indian government's decision to temporarily restrict Telegram was made to prevent the spread of fake exam papers and related scams ahead of a re-test for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), the country's largest entrance examination by applicant volume. However, Telegram has challenged the order in the Delhi High Court, arguing that authorities should target specific content rather than block the entire platform.
The response to the Telegram ban extended beyond app-store download data, with Proton reporting a 120% increase in daily registrations from India on Wednesday, after hourly registrations had already spiked 150% on Tuesday evening following the Telegram restriction. Canadian VPN service provider Windscribe also reported a similar trend, with signups from India peaking roughly 100% above baseline levels, while first-time downloads of its iOS app in the country rose about 89%.
Windscribe's growth operations manager, Rebecca Rosenberg, said the spike in India follows the same general trend seen in areas that ban specific apps, introduce age bans or verification requirements, or otherwise restrict internet access. The trend was not limited to a handful of VPN providers, with Sensor Tower reporting that downloads across the VPN app category in India rose 10% day-over-day on June 17, reversing a decline seen over the previous two weeks.
Users also appeared to be exploring alternatives to Telegram, with Appfigures reporting that downloads of Signal in India rose 72% on Apple's App Store and 322% on Google Play following the restriction, while Viber's App Store downloads increased 216%. Telegram-linked messaging app iMe recorded one of the sharpest jumps, with its Google Play downloads rising from a recent daily average of about 827 to 50,900 on June 16.
Despite the restriction, Telegram's daily active users in India rose 17% on the day the measure was announced, according to Sensor Tower. This was the app's largest day-over-day increase in the country since a widespread outage of Meta's services in 2021. Other data points also suggest heightened efforts to access Telegram following the restriction, with Cloudflare Radar Lead Lai Yi Ohlsen reporting that DNS requests for Telegram domains in India increased sharply over the two days after the measure was announced.
The Indian government's decision to block Telegram has sparked a debate about the effectiveness of such measures in preventing online fraud and the potential impact on freedom of expression. While the government argues that the measure is necessary to prevent the spread of fake exam papers and related scams, critics argue that it is a heavy-handed approach that could have unintended consequences. As the case makes its way through the courts, it remains to be seen whether the ban will be upheld and what implications it will have for the future of online communication in India.
