India Blocked Telegram and Users Immediately Looked for a Way Around It

Whenever a government blocks a popular app, the expectation is usually straightforward: people stop using it. But that wasn't quite what happened in India this week.

After Indian authorities restricted Telegram over concerns that leaked medical entrance exam papers were being distributed through channels on the platform, users responded in a very different way. Instead of simply moving on, many immediately started looking for ways to regain access.

The result, given that Telegram has over 150 million users in the country, was a surge in VPN downloads unlike anything India has seen this year. Within hours of the restriction being announced, VPN services began reporting unusually high demand.

According to app intelligence firm Appfigures, downloads of major VPN apps jumped nearly 50% above normal levels. Services such as Proton VPN, Turbo VPN, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Windscribe all reported significant increases in downloads and new registrations.