VPN downloads surge after Telegram restriction

India’s temporary block on Telegram has triggered a sharp rise in VPN use, with users turning to privacy tools and rival messaging apps in unusually large numbers after authorities cut off access to the platform for a week.

App intelligence firm Appfigures told TechCrunch that Tuesday, the day India announced the restriction, was the biggest day for VPN app downloads in the country since at least the start of 2025. Downloads of major VPN apps climbed 49% from a recent daily average of 139,000 to 208,000.

Proton VPN and Turbo VPN saw some of the steepest jumps. On Apple’s App Store in India, Proton VPN downloads rose 113% and Turbo VPN downloads increased 85%. On Google Play, Proton VPN downloads climbed 64%, while Turbo VPN grew 35%. NordVPN’s App Store downloads rose 41%, and ExpressVPN downloads on Google Play increased 31%.

The spike also reshuffled app-store rankings. Proton VPN moved from 18th to 5th in Apple’s Utilities category between June 16 and June 18, while its Google Play ranking improved from 8th to 2nd in Tools.

Exam fraud concerns drive the ban

The surge followed India’s decision to temporarily restrict Telegram until June 22 over concerns that fraudsters were using the app to target candidates ahead of a re-test for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), the country’s largest entrance exam by applicant volume. The government said the move was intended to stop fake exam papers and related scams.

Telegram challenged the order in the Delhi High Court, arguing that authorities should target specific content rather than block the entire platform. The court upheld the restriction on Friday.

VPN providers said the reaction went beyond app-store downloads. Proton said daily registrations from India rose 120% above baseline on Wednesday, after hourly signups had already spiked 150% on Tuesday evening. Windscribe reported signups peaking about 100% above baseline, while first-time iOS downloads in India rose around 89%. Surfshark said it had seen roughly a 30% increase in connectivity from India since the announcement.

Rebecca Rosenberg, growth operations manager at Windscribe, said the pattern mirrors other cases where governments restrict specific apps or tighten internet access.

The rush underscores how quickly users in India are seeking workarounds when a major platform is blocked — and how such measures can accelerate concerns around digital privacy as more people funnel traffic through VPN services.

Sources:

techcrunch.com