India’s week-long restriction on messaging platform Telegram, imposed to combat exam-related fraud surrounding the NEET re-test, has triggered an unprecedented surge in downloads of virtual private networks (VPNs) and rival messaging applications, according to data from multiple app intelligence firms. The government’s decision to block the app, which Telegram says serves over 150 million users in the country, has spurred one of the most dramatic shifts in digital behavior seen in India since the start of 2025, with users flocking to tools that can bypass the restriction and to alternative platforms that remain accessible.
App intelligence firm Appfigures reported to TechCrunch that the day India announced the Telegram restriction marked the single biggest day for VPN app downloads in the country since at least the beginning of 2025. Major VPN providers recorded a 49% surge in downloads, jumping from a recent daily average of 139,000 to 208,000. This spike did not occur in isolation; it was part of a broader trend that saw users exploring every available avenue to maintain connectivity and access the blocked service.
VPN Providers See Unprecedented Daily Demand
The largest increases were concentrated among a handful of well-known providers, with Proton VPN and Turbo VPN recording some of the most dramatic gains. On Apple’s App Store in India, downloads of Proton VPN jumped 113%, while Turbo VPN downloads rose by 85%. On Google Play, Proton VPN downloads climbed 64%, and Turbo VPN increased by 35%. Other major players in the space also felt the effect of the surge; NordVPN’s App Store downloads increased 41%, while ExpressVPN saw a 31% rise in Google Play downloads.
The sudden demand pushed several VPN services up the charts in India’s app stores. Proton VPN climbed from 18th to 5th in Apple’s Utilities rankings between June 16 and June 18, while its Google Play ranking rose from 8th to 2nd in the Tools category. This movement reflects a clear shift in user behavior, where a temporary government measure has temporarily reordered the competitive landscape of app visibility and consumer preference.
Beyond the raw download numbers, the response extended to registrations and sign-ups. Proton reported that daily registrations from India rose 120% above baseline levels on Wednesday, after hourly registrations had already spiked 150% on Tuesday evening. The company described the increase as “extremely noteworthy” given its existing scale in the country, indicating that even established providers with large user bases were caught off guard by the speed and volume of the shift.
Canadian VPN service provider Windscribe reported a similar trend. The company told TechCrunch that signups from India peaked roughly 100% above baseline levels, while first-time downloads of its iOS app in the country rose approximately 89%. “The spike in India follows the same general trend we see in areas that ban specific apps, introduce age bans or verification requirements, or otherwise restrict internet access,” said Rebecca Rosenberg, growth operations manager at Windscribe. The pattern, she noted, is well-established across global markets, from Iran to Russia, where government restrictions have historically driven a surge in VPN adoption.
Alternative Messaging Apps See Explosive Growth
The restriction on Telegram did not only drive demand for VPNs; it also pushed users to explore direct alternatives to the platform itself. Appfigures reported that downloads of Signal in India rose 72% on Apple’s App Store and a remarkable 322% on Google Play following the restriction. Viber’s App Store downloads increased 216%, while the Telegram-linked messaging app iMe recorded one of the sharpest jumps, with its Google Play downloads rising from a recent daily average of roughly 827 to 50,900 on June 16.
This flight to alternative apps suggests that a significant portion of Telegram’s user base is actively seeking a replacement rather than simply waiting for the restriction to end. The numbers indicate that users are not merely engaging in passive search behavior, but are actively downloading and installing new applications, a trend that could have lasting effects on user loyalty if the restriction persists or if users find the alternative apps satisfactory.
Why Did the Restriction Not Immediately Reduce Telegram Usage?
Contrary to what might be expected from a government-imposed block, the restriction did not immediately translate into lower Telegram usage. Sensor Tower reported that Telegram’s daily active users in India actually rose 17% on the day the measure was announced, marking the app’s largest day-over-day increase in the country since a widespread outage of Meta’s services in 2021. This counterintuitive data point suggests that many users are attempting to access Telegram through workarounds, including VPNs, rather than abandoning it outright.
Cloudflare Radar Lead Lai Yi Ohlsen told TechCrunch that DNS requests for Telegram domains in India increased sharply over the two days after the measure was announced. The company cautioned that higher DNS traffic does not necessarily indicate successful access to the platform; it could simply reflect users repeatedly attempting to reach Telegram after it was blocked. This interpretation aligns with the VPN download data, suggesting that a significant portion of the spike in VPN usage may be driven by users looking to establish a connection to the very app that was restricted.
The Government’s Rationale and the Legal Battle
India’s decision to restrict Telegram was framed as a necessary measure to prevent the spread of fake exam papers and related scams ahead of a re-test for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), the country’s largest entrance examination by applicant volume. The government argued that the platform was being used by fraudsters to target candidates, and that a temporary block was the most effective way to contain the situation. Telegram has challenged the order in the Delhi High Court, arguing that authorities should target specific content rather than block the entire platform.
During hearings in the Delhi High Court, Telegram pointed to its efforts to cooperate with authorities, stating that it had removed channels that were specifically identified by government officials. The company questioned the necessity of a platform-wide restriction for a problem that it believes could be addressed through more targeted enforcement. Government lawyers defended the measure as a temporary, event-linked response, with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta telling the court that while a permanent ban could raise proportionality concerns, the current restriction had a “logical nexus” to the objective being pursued.
The court reserved its order after hearing arguments from both sides, with a verdict expected on Friday. The outcome of this case is likely to set a significant precedent for how India handles platform-level restrictions in the future, particularly as the country continues to grapple with the balance between online security and the protection of digital rights and free expression.
Broader Implications and Market Patterns
The spike in VPN and rival app downloads in India is consistent with global patterns observed during similar internet restrictions. Sensor Tower noted that VPN downloads in the U.S. rose more than 40% week-over-week when TikTok was briefly removed from U.S. app stores in 2025. Windscribe similarly observed the same general trends in countries including Iran and Russia, where government-imposed restrictions have consistently driven a surge in VPN adoption.
These recurring patterns underscore a fundamental aspect of the modern internet: when access is restricted, the market responds. The data from India’s Telegram ban suggests that users are not passively accepting the limitation, but are actively seeking out tools and alternatives to maintain their digital routines. For VPN providers, this may represent a double-edged sword, as the temporary surge in demand offers a short-term business boost, but also places them in the crosshairs of government scrutiny as tools that enable circumvention of national policies.
As the Delhi High Court prepares to deliver its verdict, the broader question of how governments should handle platform-level restrictions without triggering a mass migration to workarounds and alternative applications will remain a pressing issue for regulators, tech companies, and users. The week-long block on Telegram has already proven that a single policy decision can reshape app store rankings, spur massive shifts in user behavior, and test the resilience of a platform with over 150 million users in a single country.
