The app has become one of the five most downloaded in the world and has millions of active users. Find out more details!
In ten years, the messaging app Telegram has reached 700 million monthly active users and has become one of the top five apps in terms of downloads worldwide. The app was created in 2013 by Pavel Durov, who is also the founder of Russia’s most popular social network, VKontakte. On August 9 this year, Telegram surpassed VKontakte in daily reach for the first time.
Telegram is one of the top five most downloaded apps in the world. Last year, it was downloaded 70.48 million times in India, 20.03 million times in the United States, 19.61 million times in Indonesia, and 18.04 million times in Brazil. In 2021, the app had already reached the second most downloaded app in the United States.
But how did the app become so popular around the world and gain so many users? Find out below!
Telegram
The Telegram It was created as an instant messaging service for an international audience and only gained a Russian interface in 2017. Despite the delay in reaching the country, it is one of the leaders in number of users. In June of last year, the app's monthly reach reached 63.1% of the Russian population over 12 years of age.
In 2022, the Telegram app has surpassed its rival WhatsApp in terms of traffic volume and is expected to surpass its competitor in terms of user numbers later this year. The rapid growth in users is also attributed to the blocking of Instagram apps and Facebook in the country.
Telegram is among the five most downloaded apps in the world, including in the United States of America, after the suspension of former US President Donald Trump's account in 2021. Another reason for the app's growth was the change in its privacy policy. from WhatsApp, which may share user data with other apps from the Meta company. Telegram refuses to grant access to user messages and data, even when requested by governments, except in cases of suspected terrorism.
App is now called a social network
Although it was created as an instant messaging app, Telegram has now become a full-fledged social network. In addition to chats, the app has channels that work like Facebook communities. Users can subscribe to channels, follow posts, discuss them, and use emoji reactions.
One of the main differences between Telegram and other networks is the absence of algorithms. This company does not have a recommendations section. This way, users can choose what they want to see in their feed. Channels are designed like chats and each post can be accompanied by notifications for subscribers, if they wish. Notifications can be disabled,
The only way to promote content on the platform is through partnerships between channels, or by purchasing advertising from another channel on the app. In June, Telegram introduced stories, just like on Instagram, where posts are available for a period of time and then deleted.
The combination of an ad-free feed format and a messaging service has made Telegram the leading news aggregator for Russians, which is now the largest type of content on the platform in the country.
Blocking
Telegram is currently blocked in a number of countries, including China, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan. In some cases, the app has been blocked during protests to limit the ability of protesters to coordinate actions through the platform. In other cases, the reason has been explained as “indecent content.”
In cases such as Brazil, reasons for blocking included the app’s team’s refusal to delete specific content or provide decryption technology for private messages. According to the company, user safety and a commitment to avoiding censorship are fundamental principles of the platform. During the pandemic, Telegram refused to remove false posts about Covid-19.
