Signal and Telegram downloads surge amid WhatsApp row

Instant messaging apps Signal and Telegram have racked up almost 4 million downloads in India since WhatsApp changed its terms and conditions—still a fraction of their Facebook-owned rival’s numbers but indicating a growing awareness of privacy and profiling issues.

According to data from Sensor Tower, Signal is the big winner so far with 2.3 million new downloads between 6 and 10 January. Telegram had 1.5 million new downloads in the same period.

Signal was downloaded only 24,000 times between 1 and 5 January, which makes the growth over the subsequent five days a jaw-dropping 9,483%. Telegram’s was a more steady 15% growth from 1.3 million downloads.