Telegram Surges Past 1 Billion Play store Downloads after Six Hours of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram Outage this Month.

Third-party messaging client Telegram has now joined an exclusive and limited club after surpassing the 1 billion download figure over on the Google Play Store.

Likely spurred by the recent outage to Facebook-owned services such as WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, cross-platform messaging app Telegram has now surged over the 1 billion download mark on the Play Store (via Android Police).

That discounts the many reasons that Telegram is a worthy download for those wanting more control over their one-to-one and group conversations. The app includes a number of features that many rival services lack, including the ability to use it on multiple devices simultaneously.

That’s a big deal given that WhatsApp’s implementation is far more restrictive and only allows one smartphone to be logged in to an account at a time. It’s easy to see just why Telegram downloads have grown in recent years as regular improvements and features help it exceed over many other rivals.

According to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, the messaging app had over 500 million active monthly users at the start of 2021. With WhatsApp experiencing issues and Face Messenger similarly affected by the core Facebook outage, Durov shared via his public Telegram channel that over 70 million joined the service as a result.

For Telegram to reach 1 billion downloads on the Play Store is no mean feat. However, it’s important to note that this doesn’t mean that there at 1 billion people out there using the app on a regular basis. This download figure also does not include those sideloading the APK from the official website either. That said, it’s nice to see another messaging alternative making waves.

Comments

UGANDA ELECTORAL COMMISSION TO ELIMINATE NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION CARDS (IDs) FOR 2021 GENERAL ELECTIONS.

The elimination of using National IDs (Ndagamuntu) for the 2021 elections should not have come as a surprise. One would be very NAIVE to think that Bobi Wine has not prepared for this in his Business Plan under the RISK section. It is public knowledge that our EC is not independent. It is also public knowledge that Military Dictator Yoweri Museveni will never lose an election. What stunned us this morning is when we noticed that on social media, people were mocking Bobi with his "get your Ndagamuntu". We are on record for saying to all Our readers that the National ID is like Apartheid in South Africa. Students of History would know how those IDs were being used to arrest people, deny them jobs, deny them basic services. Consequently, Bobi was not wrong and will never be wrong on the Ndagamuntu. Except the ones attacking him and mocking him forget that in Uganda, now, no National ID (Ndagamuntu), no service. If you have not been denied registering your child i...

Parliament Urges Government to Provide Shs 4 Billion to Media Houses to Run Awareness Campaign on Tourism in Uganda.

Parliament also urged Gov’t to provide additional Shs4Bn to UTB to engage international and national media houses in production of positive media stories for improved destination image, following reports of drop in number of tourists from US, Europe and China visiting Uganda. "The National Development Plan targeted to cumulatively attract 281,760 International Tourist arrivals from US, Europe & China but only 67,252 arrivals were registered by the end of the first half of FY 2023/24. The U.S, Europe & China were key target source for leisure tourist who stay longer than business tourists. However, statistics show that international arrivals from the aforementioned areas have continue to drop. The UTB requires Shs4Bn to engage international & national media houses in production of positive tourism stories to improve destination perception in light of recent controversies that shade the destination in a bad light. However, this has remained unfunded,” said La...

UPDF has Rehabilitated Boreholes and Shallow Wells in Maracha District Ahead of 45th Tarehe Sita.

Story by Osuta Yusuf. Maracha District. 30-12-2025. 📸: The technical team fixing some of the boreholes. Photo by Osuta Yusuf, Our News Reporter. The Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) which is the legally constituted security organ to guard and protect the people, properties and sovereignty of Uganda, have rehabilitated a total of 9 Boreholes and shallow wells at the tune of 15m Shs in 7 Sub-counties out of the 19 Sub-counties in Maracha District through a service dubbed under the Theme of “QUICK IMPACT PROJECT” directly financed by the UPDF, ahead of preparation for the celebration of their next year's 2026 Tarehe Sita anniversary. 📸: Official launch of UPDF’s 45th Tarehe Sita celebration ahead of the due date 6-February-2026. Courtesy Photo. The UPDF Tarehe Sita is an annual public holiday and event that takes place on every 6th of February, the date when the then Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM) party now turned as National Resistance Army / Movement (NRA / M) headed b...

Osuta Yusuf

Search This Blog