Telegram has risen to become the most downloaded non-gaming app in January 2021, beating other apps like TikTok, Facebook, signal and most controversially WhatsApp.
Telegram is an instant messaging app just like WhatsApp and allows users to send and receive messages, pictures, audios and document. As at December 2021, Telegram was not in the list of the five most downloaded apps for the month. It wasn’t shocking that it rose to number one in January after WhatsApp’s new privacy policy. The controversies surrounding the new WhatsApp privacy policy pushed users to go for other alternatives that could serve the same (and even more) purpose as WhatsApp. These alternatives include Signal, Telegram, etc. This controversy likely pushed users to switch to Telegram which is one of the best and most preferred (if not the best and most preferred) alternatives for WhatsApp. WhatsApp stood at number three in the list of most downloaded non-gaming apps in the month of December and slid to fifth in January 2021.
With Telegram at the top of the list for the most downloaded non-gaming app with over sixty-three million downloads globally, TikTok came in second with sixty-two million. Signal; another instant messaging app, came in at third place. Facebook and WhatsApp took fourth and fifth place respectively.
India downloaded the app the most in January 2021 with downloads making a whopping twenty-four percent out of total downloads. Out of over sixty-three million downloads, India had around fifteen million downloads and this is almost four times her download in January 2020.
Instagram, accompanied by Zoom, MX Taka Tak, Snapchat and Messenger took the sixth to tenth positions respectively in the list of non-gaming apps.
Telegram’s estimate of sixty-three million downloads is an aggregate of downloads from both App store and Play store from the first to the thirty-first of January, 2021.
With WhatsApp’s privacy policy still standing, more and more people will continue to switch to other alternatives that promise the same or more features as WhatsApp. Telegram might continue in the position of the most downloaded non-gaming app this month of February and maybe months after. It’s new feature that allows users to save/sync old chats and files from WhatsApp is enough reason to believe Telegram would be on the position of most downloaded non-gaming app for some time.
Ibhadojemu Lucky Emmanuel is a graduate of Education and Economics from the University of Benin. He has a passion for tech and business and has been writing professionally for over a period of five years. He's written across various topics and segments and knew tech-business was it when he first stumbled on it. He has a great passion for music and arts, and wants to visit as many countries as he can someday.
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