London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 08, 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.
Comments

casual observer 5 year ago
As usual Oh ya, you're spreading misinformation. https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification.
Oh ya 5 year ago
Whattsapp little gew boy is scrambling now. The privacy might not change from whatsapp user to whatsapp user like he said BUT you have to give him full access to ALL the contents in your photo. Emsils, photos, contact list of friends and family so he can harvest their email addresses and phone numbers. I started using Signal the other day. Easy setup and to use

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
×