VPN and Signal Popularity Surges After Telegram Block in India

Temporary restrictions imposed by the Indian government on the Telegram messenger have led to unexpected shifts in the country's digital technology market. According to TechCrunch, citing Appfigures analysis, users began migrating en masse to VPN services and alternative communication tools following the announcement of the block. This is reported by Ixbt.com report states.

Official Delhi explained this measure as a fight against fraud surrounding NEET, one of the country's largest entrance exams. According to government data, fake exam questions were distributed via the Telegram platform, posing a risk to the transparency of the education system. Consequently, access to the messenger was restricted to curb fraud schemes.

Demand for VPN services reached record levels

On the day the restrictions were announced, VPN app downloads in India hit their highest point since the beginning of 2025. The average daily downloads grew by 49%, exceeding 208 thousand from 139 thousand. In particular, services such as Proton VPN, Turbo VPN, NordVPN, and ExpressVPN became the most demanded apps.

Specifically, the Proton VPN app saw downloads increase by 113% in India's App Store and 64% on the Google Play platform. Company representatives noted that the number of newly registered Indian users was 120% higher than usual. Canada's Windscribe service also reported that its registrations doubled.

Rise of Signal and iMe apps

The Telegram restriction increased interest not only in VPNs but also in alternative messengers. Signal downloads grew by 322% in the Google Play store and 72% in the App Store. The iMe app, linked to the Telegram ecosystem, made a real leap, jumping from a few hundred downloads a day to over 50 thousand.

Interestingly, despite the restrictions, Telegram's own audience did not decrease. According to Sensor Tower data, the number of the messenger's daily active users increased by 17% on the day the restriction was announced. This indicates that instead of abandoning the platform, users are striving to preserve it and seek ways to access it.

Cloudflare noted a significant increase in the number of DNS queries to Telegram domains. Experts believe this is the result of users' continuous attempts to access the platform. Although Telegram administration appealed to the court, proposing to delete only illegal content rather than blocking the entire platform, the Delhi court supported the government's temporary measures.

According to Surfshark analysis, Telegram is currently fully or partially restricted in dozens of countries worldwide. In every such case, a sharp increase in user interest in VPNs and secure communication tools is observed, further intensifying debates about the effectiveness of blocks in the digital world.