Telegram tops TikTok to become the most downloaded app in January 2021

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

According to a recent report from Sensor Tower, Telegram is flying high these days in terms of popularity. Since January 2021, the messaging platform was installed more than 63 million times. Compared to the same period last year, the number of downloads has increased 3.8 times. 

The main reason behind Telegram’s massive expansion has nothing to do with its features or recent improvements, but with WhatsApp’s decline. WhatsApp recently introduced its new privacy policy, and while some of it was misinterpreted, it pushed many users to jump ship instead of accepting the new terms and conditions. As it turned out, millions moved to Telegram. 

Consequently, Telegram dethroned TikTok and became the most popular non-gaming app in the world. Most of the Telegram’s installs came from India (24%) and Indonesia (10%). The list of the five most popular non-gaming apps in the world consists of TikTok, Signal, Facebook, and WhatsApp. 

If we consider rankings on the two most popular app stores, Telegram is ranking first in the Google Play Store, but only fourth in Apple’s App Store. TikTok, YouTube, and Zoom remain ahead of Telegram on Apple’s App Store. Signal, the second messaging app to experience massive growth, barely made it to the top 10 in Apple’s App Store.

Sensor Tower’s report records unique installs. Plus, its Android estimates do not take into account data from third-party app stores. Their report counts the downloads from the Google Play Store and the App Store for the period between January 1st to January 31st of 2021.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Facebook’s latest version of Messenger literally sits on your face thanks to Oculus VR headsets
• WhatsApp is adding FaceID and fingerprint recognition for its desktop applications
• A Telegram bot is selling Facebook users’ phone numbers for $20 a pop
• The Iranian government has blocked the messaging app Signal after a massive increase in users

Deep Ballu