The arrest of Telegram's founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, in France is starting to affect the app's popularity and rankings.
On Saturday, its founder was arrested for allegedly allowing illegal activity to flourish on the social app by failing to properly moderate messages, particularly in areas related to drug trafficking, money laundering and the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).Despite concerns about the app's content, Telegram is now seeing an increase in downloads, ranking second in the US App Store's social networking charts and seeing a 4% increase in iOS downloads worldwide so far.
Telegram's ranking increase did not occur immediately following Durov's arrest. This could be because many people only learned of the news while catching up on headlines they'd missed over the weekend, or because third-party app store sources are a little slow to pick up on the ranking changes.
The app's rise is only just beginning, as Telegram shot up to No. 2 on the U.S. App Store's social networking charts at 3 a.m. ET on Monday, according to a report from app intelligence firm Appfigures. The rise may be temporary: At the time of writing, the app has already dropped to No. 3 in U.S. social.
However, in France, where Durov was detained, the app jumped to number one in the social networking category on the App Store and became the third most popular app overall.
Image credit: Appfigures
On the top apps chart (excluding games), Telegram rose from 18th to 8th in the U.S., up 10 spots from Friday. This is its highest ranking since at least Jan. 1, 2023, according to Appfigures.
Apple's App Store rankings typically reflect a combination of metrics, including the number of app installs and download speeds.
Still, the adage that any press is good press seems to hold true, at least when it comes to Telegram's visibility in the App Store: As users downloaded the app out of curiosity or because they agreed with its founder's ideas about “free speech,” the app began to climb the rankings.
Global downloads of Telegram on iOS were up 4% from the previous day as of Sunday, according to a separate analysis provided by market research firm Sensor Tower.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that the arrests were the result of an “ongoing judicial investigation” and that the sentence was up to the judge. “This is in no way a political decision,” he said.
After the arrest of Pavel Durov, we came across some misinformation about France.
France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, innovation and entrepreneurship – and this will continue to be the case.
In a nation governed by the rule of law,…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 26, 2024