Telegram has been downloaded over a billion times

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Telegram, the heavily encrypted and popular messaging app, has been download over one billion times globally, according to Sensor Tower (via TechCrunch). To put that number into perspective, roughly seven and a half people are living on this planet. So yea, that’s a lot of downloads.

Sensor Tower told TechCrunch that they topped the one billion download mark on Friday. The country driving the most downloads is India. According to Sensor Tower, the world’s second-largest internet market accounts for approximately 22% of lifetime installs. Here’s what they told TechCrunch:

“[India is] followed by Russia and Indonesia, which represent about 10% and 8% of [all installs], respectively. The app’s installs accelerated in 2021, reaching about 214.7 million installs in the first half of 2021, up 61% year-over-year from 133 million in H1 2020,” it added.

READ MORE: Telegram now lets you hide spoilers and react to messages

Now, keep in mind that the number of downloads doesn’t really equate to how many people are actually using the app. For example, it was reported earlier this year that the app had 500 million active users.

Telegram isn’t the first app to receive over one billion downloads. According to Sensor Tower, the app joins the ranks of WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Spotify, TikTok, and Netflix. The app was launched back in 2013.

READ MORE: Is Telegram working on a premium messaging feature?

So what do one billion downloads tell us? Apparently, Telegram is an app that we should all be downloading. If you haven’t tried it, it’s probably worth a quick install to see what all the fuss is about.

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Editors’ Recommendations:

• Telegram tops TikTok to become the most downloaded app in January 2021
• A Telegram bot is selling Facebook users’ phone numbers for $20 a pop
• Telegram’s People Nearby feature can give hackers your exact location
• Telegram is no longer a safe place for women as deepfake AI is being used to create deepfake nudes

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.