India Telegram Ban Drives Surge in VPN App Downloads
India, the country with the most Telegram users, is now the site of a record VPN download surge as the government's block over exam fraud continues despite Telegram's legal objection.
Key Facts
- Proton VPN downloads on the Indian App Store rose 113% and 64% on Google Play after India blocked Telegram.
- Turbo VPN downloads increased 85% on the Indian App Store and 35% on Google Play.
- The day of the Telegram block became the highest day for VPN app downloads in India since early 2025.
- India has the largest Telegram user base of any country.
- Telegram's legal objection to the block was rejected by a court.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
After the Indian government blocked Telegram over exam content leaks, VPN app downloads spiked in India. Proton VPN downloads rose 113% on the Indian App Store and 64% on Google Play. Turbo VPN saw 85% and 35% increases respectively. The day of the restriction became the highest day for VPN downloads in India since early 2025.
India's block on Telegram, imposed after exam content was leaked via the messaging app, has triggered a sharp rise in VPN app downloads. According to Appfigures, Proton VPN downloads on the Indian App Store jumped 113% and 64% on Google Play. Turbo VPN saw increases of 85% and 35% respectively. NordVPN and ExpressVPN also recorded strong gains. The day the restrictions were announced became the highest day for VPN app downloads in India since at least early 2025.
India has the largest Telegram user base of any country. Telegram filed an objection to the block, but the court rejected it, noting the government had previously warned Telegram and that the platform has limits in detecting problematic channels in advance. The block has also affected users in the United Arab Emirates.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.