WeChat downloads up in the US after Trump threatens ban

More users in the United States downloaded chat app WeChat and its encrypted alternative Signal, after President Donald Trump threatened to ban WeChat, owned by Chinese company Tencent, according to Sensor Tower data shared with Reuters on Thursday.

WeChat users in the United States rushed to install the app before it could disappear from the app stores. Others, especially in China, sought alternatives like the encrypted Signal, owned by non-profit Signal Foundation.

WeChat app downloads in the United States rose 41% in a six-day average from the week prior to the US ban announced last Thursday, according to Sensor Tower. Signal app downloads in US and China app stores separately jumped by 30% and 90%.