Durov’s Detainment Leads to Surge in Telegram App Downloads

The detention of Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, in France, has started to affect the application’s popularity and its standings.

Durov was detained on accusations of permitting illicit activities to flourish on the social application due to inadequate message moderation, specifically regarding drug trafficking, money laundering, and the dissemination of child sexual abuse images (CSAM). Despite these allegations impacting the app’s reputation, Telegram has experienced a surge in downloads, propelling it to the second spot on the U.S. App Store’s Social Networking rankings and marking a 4% increase in global iOS downloads thus far.

The uptick in Telegram’s popularity did not occur immediately following Durov’s detention. This delay might be attributed to people catching up on the news over the weekend or to a lag in third-party app store analytics catching up with the app’s ranking shifts.

According to data from the analytics firm Appfigures, Telegram ascended to the number two spot on the U.S. App Store’s Social Networking charts at 3 a.m. EST on Monday, indicating that the app’s rise in popularity is just beginning. The surge may be temporary, as the app had already descended to the third position in the U.S. Social Networking category by the time of reporting.

However, in France, where Durov was arrested, Telegram surged to the top position in the Social Networking category on the App Store and secured the third spot among the top apps overall.

In the chart for top apps (excluding games), Telegram’s ranking in the U.S. climbed from 18th to 8th, an impressive leap of 10 places since Friday. This is its highest positioning since at least January 1, 2023, as reported by Appfigures.

The App Store’s rankings typically reflect metrics such as install numbers and download velocity, among others.

The saying that any press is good press seems applicable here, as Telegram’s visibility on the App Store has increased. Curiosity or support for the founder’s stance on “free speech” has led to an uptick in downloads, boosting the app’s rankings.

Insights from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower show that Telegram’s global downloads on iOS have risen by 4% day-over-day as of Sunday.

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the arrest was part of an “ongoing judicial investigation” and that it would be the judiciary’s role to decide on the matter. “This is not a political action,” he said.