Maintaining the Number One Spot in New Installations in the Messenger Sector After Martial Law Situation
In the wake of the martial law, the number of Telegram installations by domestic users has surged. Concerns about local messengers being subjected to censorship led to an increase in people resorting to Telegram, known for its strong security, as a form of ‘digital asylum.’
According to mobile index data from IGAWorks on the 10th, the number of new Telegram installations recorded on the 3rd—the day President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law—was 40,576. This is more than four times the 9,016 installations recorded the day before.
This day, Telegram accounted for 47.09% of all new installations in the messenger industry.
Even on the 4th, when the martial law situation continued until dawn, new installations reached 33,033.
On the 5th and 6th, over 10,000 installations were recorded each day, maintaining the number one position in new installations in the domestic messenger sector.
Industry analysis suggests that, compared to recent poor installation performance for Telegram, this surge is almost entirely due to martial law.
In September and October, Line and KakaoTalk ranked first and second in new installations, with Telegram in third. Last month, it dropped to fourth place.
The temporary disruption of domestic internet services on the day of martial law also contributed to increased Telegram usage.
After the declaration of martial law, as a connectivity issue arose due to excessive traffic on Naver and Kakao’s portal Daum, messages like “Telegram is safe” were shared across major social networks.
As a result, Telegram’s ranking in the App Store popularity charts soared from around 50th place to 3rd place immediately following the martial law declaration.