As Indians Are Leaving Whatsapp Over Data Privacy, Signal Becomes #1 Messenger App In India

Ever since Whatsapp introduced the new privacy policy in India, there has been a mass exodus of Whatsapp users, as lakhs of users have quit the messenger app.

And as a direct result of this, a new app called Signal has emerged as India’s #1 messenger app.

How did this happen?

Indians Leaving Whatsapp Over Privacy Issues

Effective February 5th, your Whatsapp will stop working if you don’t accept the new privacy policy, which provides them complete access to all your smartphone, and allows them to share the same with Facebook as well.

This has triggered a panic among Whatsapp users in India, and they are quitting the app en-masse.

And due to this mass exodus, a new app called Signal has emerged the new champion.

Must Read: WhatsApp Vs Signal Vs Telegram: Things No One Told You, What To Use?

Signal Becomes #1 Messenger App In India

After Elon Musk tweeted about Signal, there has been an unprecedented rush to download this new messenger app, especially in India.

Infact, due to such a huge surge in new downloads, Signal’s servers crashed, and they had to put in emergency measures to support this heavy traffic.

Signal also thanked Indians by tweeting this:

Look at what you've done. ?? pic.twitter.com/0YuqyZXtgP

— Signal (@signalapp) January 8, 2021

At the time of writing, Signal was trending on the top apps list, and it was above Whatsapp, Messenger and other messaging apps.

How Will Signal Earn Money?

During an AMA or Ask Me Anything session on Reddit India, Signal co-founder revealed that donations is the primary monetization method for them, and they will never ever sell users’ data.

The team behind Signal has assured all new users that their platform is completely encrypted, and even they cannot view or access any users’ data.

You can find the complete AMA here.

It will be interesting to observe how Mark Zuckerberg and his team handles this backlash caused by privacy issues in India.

The big question: Will they roll back their new privacy policy?

We will keep you updated, as more details come in.