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Indian users rushed VPN apps after the temporary Telegram restriction, with downloads jumping 49% from 139,000 to 208,000 daily, Appfigures data shows. Proton VPN and Turbo VPN saw sharp spikes, while Signal and Viber also gained users. The move followed government action over NEET exam fraud concerns, triggering broader migration to privacy tools, with some apps up over 100 percent.

Indian users are flocking to VPNs and alternative messaging apps after the government temporarily blocked Telegram, with download numbers hitting their highest levels in over a year.

According to data shared with TechCrunch by app intelligence firm Appfigures, the day India announced the Telegram restriction, was the biggest day for VPN app downloads in the country since at least the start of 2025, with downloads of major VPN apps rising 49 percent from a recent daily average of 139,000 to 208,000.

Individual VPN providers saw even sharper spikes. Proton VPN downloads on Apple's App Store in India jumped 113 percent, while Turbo VPN downloads rose 85 percent; on Google Play, Proton VPN climbed 64 percent and Turbo VPN rose 35 percent, with NordVPN's App Store downloads up 41 percent and ExpressVPN's Google Play downloads up 31 percent. The surge also reshuffled app-store rankings. Proton VPN climbed from 18th to 5th in Apple's Utilities rankings between June 16 and June 18, and rose from 8th to 2nd in Google Play's Tools category.

The trend wasn't confined to a few apps. Sensor Tower reportedly said that downloads across the entire VPN app category in India rose 10 percent day-over-day on June 17, reversing a decline seen over the previous two weeks.