The Indian government's decision to block Telegram for a week, citing exam-related fraud concerns, has triggered a massive surge in VPN downloads and alternative messaging app usage. According to app intelligence firm Appfigures, downloads of major VPN apps rose 49% from a daily average of 139,000 to 208,000 on the day the restriction was announced. Proton VPN saw a 113% jump on Apple's App Store, while Turbo VPN increased by 85%. NordVPN's downloads grew 41% on the App Store, and ExpressVPN gained 31% on Google Play.
The spike extended to messaging competitors. Signal downloads surged 72% on iOS and 322% on Android, while Viber jumped 216% on the App Store. The Telegram-linked app iMe saw a dramatic rise from 827 daily downloads to over 50,900. Interestingly, Telegram's daily active users in India increased by 17% on the day of the ban, the highest since a 2021 Meta outage.
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Government Action and Legal Challenge
India restricted Telegram until June 22 to prevent the spread of fake exam papers related to the NEET re-test. Telecom providers, acting on government orders, blocked the app at the ISP level. Telegram challenged the ban in the Delhi High Court, arguing that authorities should block specific content rather than the entire platform. However, the court upheld the restriction on Friday, stating that the emergency procedure had been followed correctly.
VPN Providers and User Behavior
VPN services climbed app store rankings. Proton VPN moved from 18th to 5th on Apple's Utilities chart, and Windscribe reported a 100% increase in signups from India. Rebecca Rosenberg, Windscribe's growth operations manager, noted: the spike follows the same pattern seen in regions that block apps or impose age bans. Many users sought VPN deals, such as the NordVPN Coupon for June 2026.
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Broader Implications
The Indian case mirrors past events: when TikTok was removed from US app stores in 2025, VPN downloads rose 40% week-over-week. Government restrictions on digital platforms consistently drive users toward circumvention tools. The debate highlights the tension between security and internet freedom. For more on how VPNs work, see the Wikipedia article on virtual private networks.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/18/telegram-ban-in-india-sparks-a-rush-to-vpns-rival-apps
