India's 'Telegram ban' has led to increased downloads of major VPN apps, as India has the largest number of Telegram users.



Following the Indian government's block of access to the messaging app Telegram, there has been a sudden surge in downloads of VPN apps that spoof communication paths within India.

Telegram ban in India sparks a rush to VPNs, rival apps | TechCrunch

https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/18/telegram-ban-in-india-sparks-a-rush-to-vpns-rival-apps/

Telegram admits it couldn't police exam-leak channels, India tells court
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/telegram-admits-it-couldnt-police-exam-leak-channels-india-tells-court/

Massive VPN surge hits India as government blocks Telegram over exam fraud | TechRadar
https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/massive-vpn-surge-hits-india-as-government-blocks-telegram-over-exam-fraud

In 2026, an incident occurred in India where the contents of the standardized entrance examination for university medical schools were leaked. Following reports that Telegram was being used to share the exam content, the Indian government filed a petition with the court, resulting in a temporary ban on access to Telegram from within the country.

Following this measure, downloads of VPN apps surged in India. According to app analytics firm Appfigures, downloads of 'Proton VPN' on the Indian App Store increased by 113%, and downloads of 'Turbo VPN' increased by 85%. On Google Play, downloads of Proton VPN increased by 64%, and downloads of Turbo VPN increased by 35%.




In addition, download numbers for other services such as NordVPN and ExpressVPN also surged, and the day the Telegram restrictions were announced became 'the day when VPN app downloads in India reached their highest level since at least early 2025.'

India has the largest number of Telegram users.



Telegram appealed the ban, but the court rejected the appeal, citing that the government had issued a warning to Telegram before the suspension and that there are limitations to its ability to detect problematic channels in advance. As a result, the ban remains in effect.

The nationwide blockade measures extended not only within India but also to users in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In India, it's also become a topic of discussion that a Proton VPN general manager's X post stating that 'the number of Proton VPN users has increased' is no longer accessible.




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