Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Signal's downloads skyrocketed 4,200% after WhatsApp announced it would force users to share personal data with Facebook

Signal's downloads skyrocketed 4,200% after WhatsApp announced it would force users to share personal data with Facebook

Signal saw 7.5 million downloads following WhatsApp's announcement, a 4,200% increase on the previous week. Telegram downloads surged 91%.
WhatsApp's rivals got a massive boost after the messaging app announced on Wednesday it would make users share some personal data with its parent company Facebook.

WhatsApp told users they would have to agree to let Facebook and its subsidiaries collect WhatsApp data — including phone numbers and locations — before February 8, or else lose access to the app. WhatsApp has since clarified this only affects users outside of the EU and UK, and said that the change "does not affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family in any way."

Data from app analytics firm Sensor Tower shows Signal, a rival encrypted messaging service, saw an enormous surge in user numbers following WhatsApp's announcement.

"From January 6 to January 10, Signal saw approximately 7.5 million installs globally from across the App Store and Google Play," a Sensor Tower spokesperson told Insider.

This represented a 4200% increase on the previous week.

Signal received significant publicity following WhatsApp's announcement, with public figures including Elon Musk and Edward Snowden endorsing the app. Musk tweeted "use Signal," which had the unexpected side-effect of sending stock for an unrelated company, Signal Advance, soaring by 11,700%.

Encrypted messaging service Telegram saw even more users flock to its service. In the same time period, it amassed 9 million new users, up 91% from the previous week.

For both Signal and Telegram, the biggest growth market was India. Signal saw 2.3 million installs in India — more than 30% of its total new installs. India accounted for 1.5 million of Telegram's installs, or 16% of all installs.

For Signal, the second biggest market was the US, where users installed it about 1 million times.

WhatsApp has scrambled to try to allay public concerns about its app's privacy since Wednesday. "We want to address some rumors and be 100% clear we continue to protect your private messages with end-to-end encryption," the company said in a statement on Monday.

"We want to be clear that the policy update does not affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family in any way. Instead, this update includes changes related to messaging a business on WhatsApp, which is optional, and provides further transparency about how we collect and use data," WhatsApp added in an FAQ on its website.

Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
×