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GUANGZHOU, China – The download of privacy-focused messaging apps, Signal and Telegram, has been boosted as users have sought alternatives to Facebook-owned WhatsApp over concerns about changes to the service’s privacy policy.
According to Sensor Tower, Signal installed approximately 7.5 million installations worldwide through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store between January 6 and 10. This is 43 times the number of the previous week. This is the highest weekly or even monthly installation number for Signal in the app’s history.
Meanwhile, Telegram saw 5.6 million downloads worldwide from Wednesday to Sunday, according to Apptopia.
Signal claims to have ‘state-of-the-art end-to-end coding’ as part of its service, which prevents messages from being read by those who are not the intended recipient.
The increase in downloads of these two apps comes after WhatsApp announced an update to its privacy policy on January 4th. Since 2016, WhatsApp has shared certain data with Facebook. But users used to have the chance to choose from this.
But from February 8, users in the app will be asked to accept the updated terms and conditions to proceed with WhatsApp. Users in Europe and the UK will see a different message due to data protection rules in those jurisdictions.
However, WhatsApp messages are encrypted, which means that Facebook cannot see their contents. But WhatsApp collects a lot of other data that can be shared with the parent company.
This data includes account registration information, such as your phone number, transaction data, service related information, information about how you interact with others, including businesses when you use the service, and information about mobile devices.
In a statement on Monday, WhatsApp said that this update does not affect the privacy of messages sent to friends and family. It made it clear that the update “will include changes related to the message to a business on WhatsApp, which is optional, and provides further transparency about how we collect and use data.”
WhatsApp says the data shared with Facebook is used to improve infrastructure, promote safety and security and refine services by making suggestions or personalizing features and content. It can also include integration between Facebook brands and WhatsApp.
Following the announcement, Tesla CEO Elon Musk last week encouraged his Twitter followers to “use Signal.”
Signal reported last week that verification codes sent to users via SMS to start using the program have been delayed due to the huge demand. Signal said it has added additional servers to handle the influx of new users.
“We continue to shatter traffic records and add capacity as more and more people reconcile with how much they dislike Facebook’s new terms,” Signal said in a tweet. “If you have not been able to create a new group recently, please try again. New servers are ready to serve you.”
Despite the increase in Signal and Telegram downloads, WhatsApp has seen no decline, according to Adam Blacker, vice president of insights at Apptopia.
“It’s too ingrained. I think there are a very small number of people who use WhatsApp daily to remove it,” Blacker told CNBC in an email.
“Even those who download and use Signal or Telegram will continue to use WhatsApp because that’s where most of their friends and family are. They may start talking to certain people on Signal but still talk to their mother on WhatsApp. . “