Will Telegram replace WhatsApp?

WhatsApp global uninstall, Parler global disconnect from Appstore and Google Play. Telegram vast growth, becoming the 2nd most downloaded app in the USA.

What will Year 2021 bring to us?

It’s only January, but this year is already filled with a lot of events.

Let’s see what is going on among the global apps?
After WhatsApp updated its policy on the transfer of personal data to Facebook’s advertising system and removed the American app Parler from the App Store and Google Play, Americans started installing Telegram Messenger en masse. As a result, it became the second most downloaded app in the United States as of 10 January 2021. Who would have imagined it?

On 4 January 2021, Facebook’s WhatsApp app notified its 2 billion users of a privacy policy update. In order to continue using the app, the user must consent to the transfer of their personal data to Facebook’s advertising system. The update caused outrage among WhatsApp users, IT experts and world leaders alike, leading to a massive outflow of the app’s audience. On 4 January 2021, Facebook’s WhatsApp app notified its 2 billion users of a privacy policy update. In order to continue using the app, the user must consent to the transfer of their personal data to Facebook’s advertising system. The update caused outrage among WhatsApp users, IT experts and world leaders alike, leading to a massive outflow of the app’s audience.

What’s so scary about WhatsApp’s new privacy policy?

WhatsApp now reserves the right to share aggregated user data with Facebook and Instagram, regardless of whether users have accounts or profiles on these social networks. Much of WhatsApp’s monetisation policy is broadly in line with what it used to be, but it now explicitly states the following: “WhatsApp receives and shares information from other Facebook projects”. The possibility to share data with Facebook has existed for many years, but from 8 February this condition will become mandatory.

Facebook will provide access to both contacts and transactions.

Users can rest assured, however, that their data will remain private, as chat conversations are encrypted and cannot be accessed by WhatsApp itself. However, by using WhatsApp, users will grant Facebook access to their contact list, location, transactions and unique device IDs.

WhatsApp’s new privacy policy has forced many users to switch to competitors. As a result, Messenger Signal has seen a 4,200% increase in installs and Telegram a 91% increase, making it the second most downloaded app in the United States in January 2021.

What happened to the Parler app?

Apple and Google removed Parler Messenger from their stores after Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to use it. As a result, a huge part of Parler’s audience migrated to Telegram. According to Sensor Tower, in the United States, Telegram was installed around 545 000 times between Wednesday 6 January 2021 and Sunday 10 January 2021, almost three times more than the week before.