The founder of the Telegram messenger, Pavlo Durov, said that Chinese users did not decrease their activity in using their platform after it was removed from the Chinese App Store.
“Telegram is the #1 most popular mobile app in China on Android, according to Google Play. You need a VPN to access Telegram in China, but the Chinese are smart – they like Telegram and find a way to use it. Last week, China forced Apple to remove apps like Telegram from the Chinese App Store. We did not notice a decrease in the number of downloads from China," said Durov.
He believes that the main target of these changes was not Telegram, but Apple. Because Android allows you to download applications not only from the official store.
"The Chinese authorities are forcing more and more of their citizens to switch from iPhone to Android smartphones produced by Chinese companies such as Xiaomi," writes Durov.
Note that the authorities of Ukraine are currently also discussing the possibility of banning or regulating Telegram.
