India VPN Downloads Surge After Government Bans Telegram
The Indian government's temporary ban on Telegram sparked a record surge in VPN and alternative messaging app downloads as users bypassed restrictions.
The Government of India imposed a temporary ban on the messaging platform Telegram on June 16, citing concerns over the circulation of fraud content related to exams. This restriction triggered an immediate shift in user behavior, with India recording its highest single-day surge in VPN downloads since early 2025 on June 17.
Data from Appfigures indicates that the top 100 VPN apps saw 919,000 installs on June 17. Proton VPN was a primary beneficiary of this trend, experiencing a 157% increase in downloads to reach 155,430 and climbing to the top of the Google Play Tools category.
Beyond VPNs, users adopted alternative clients to maintain access to the service. Installs for Telegram X jumped to 350,764, while the iMe app grew by 22,018%. The surge aligns with previous assertions by Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who has argued that implementing technical barriers typically increases the adoption of privacy tools rather than eliminating the demand for the platform.
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