UPDATED: Telegram Most Downloaded Mobile App in January 

By Adedapo Adesanya

Telegram was the most downloaded mobile app for January 2021, according to Sensor Tower, a research group that compiles a list of downloads per month of iOS and Android apps.

In its latest report which covers the download period of January 1 through 31, Telegram jumped eight places from number #9 on SensorTower’s list of most downloaded (non-game) mobile app in December 2020 to the zenith position.

The app recorded a boost that saw it grow by at least 63 million users, about 3.8 times higher than the downloads in January 2020.

It could be deduced that the growth came as a result of WhatsApp’s questionable privacy policy which caused an uproar and resulted in a mass exodus to other apps from its users.

According to Sensor Tower, 24 per cent of the downloads were from India, one of the fastest-growing tech countries, followed by Indonesia at 10 per cent while others accounted for the remaining.

This action saw WhatsApp slips to fifth overall from number three. On Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store in December 2020, WhatsApp fell to seventh and sixth respectively in January 2021.

Meanwhile, TikTok was ranked number 2 overall in the SensorTower’s report, with nearly 62 million installs. It was noted that 17 per cent of them were technically for Douyin, its Chinese-market version, while the United States accounted for another 10 per cent despite numerous clampdowns by the administration of former US President, Mr Donald Trump.

Signal, on the other hand, also banking on WhatsApp’ woes, made number 2 and 10 on the Play Store and App Store rankings in January 2021 respectively, but emerged number three overall. This occurred despite not featuring at all in December 2020’s top 10 lists.

Instagram fell to number six at the start of 2021, which could be partly due to its association with Facebook and WhatsApp.

Zoom fell from its December 2020 fifth spot to seventh most downloaded in January 2021. This may seem odd given ongoing lockdowns in many countries worldwide; but then again, it might suggest that many consumers and workers already have the app on their phones.

Mx TakaTak, Snapchat, and Messenger were the eighth, ninth, and tenth most downloaded apps for the period.

Editor’s Note:

The third paragraph has been updated to 3.8 times higher instead of the initial 3.8 per cent. We apologise for the mix-up.