• Home
  • Apps
  • Apps News
  • WeChat, Signal US Downloads Spike After Trump Threatens Ban: Sensor Tower

WeChat, Signal US Downloads Spike After Trump Threatens Ban: Sensor Tower

WeChat users in the United States rushed to install the app before it could disappear from the app stores.

WeChat, Signal US Downloads Spike After Trump Threatens Ban: Sensor Tower

Some Chinese immigrants worry losing access to WeChat could cut off contact with family and friends

Highlights
  • WeChat app downloads in the United States rose 41 percent
  • Signal app downloads in US and China app stores separately jumped
  • WeChat users have also turned to another Tencent-owned chat app - QQ
Advertisement

More users in the United States downloaded chat app WeChat and its encrypted alternative Signal, after President Donald Trump threatened to ban WeChat, owned by Chinese company Tencent, according to Sensor Tower data shared with Reuters on Thursday.

WeChat users in the United States rushed to install the app before it could disappear from the app stores. Others, especially in China, sought alternatives like the encrypted Signal, owned by non-profit Signal Foundation.

WeChat app downloads in the United States rose 41 percent in a six-day average from the week prior to the US ban announced last Thursday, according to Sensor Tower. Signal app downloads in US and China app stores separately jumped by 30 percent and 90 percent.

“Not only are alternatives like WhatsApp and Telegram officially blocked in China, but Signal has an inherent advantage in that it's well known for being strongly encrypted,” Stephanie Chan, Mobile Insights Strategist at Sensor Tower told Reuters. Signal did not immediately respond to request for comment.

WeChat users have also turned to another Tencent-owned chat app, QQ, as the ban did not specifically cover this product. Its downloads in the United States have tripled in the past week, Sensor Tower data showed.

Some Chinese immigrants and expats worry losing access to the popular WeChat could cut off contact with family and friends in China, where most popular US instant messaging apps including Facebook, Whatsapp, and Telegram have been blocked by the Chinese government's Great Firewall.

It was unclear how the administration could implement the ban on WeChat in mid-September. It could order Apple and Alphabet's Google to remove WeChat from their app store, or order the apps to stop offering access or updates to US users.

Some users said they planned to access WeChat in the United States using a virtual private network (VPN), a common tool people in China use to hide IP address to evade government restrictions.

© Thomson Reuters 2020


Is Nord the iPhone SE of the OnePlus world? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: WeChat, Apple, Google, Tencent, WeChat Ban
Android 11-Based Wear OS Update Announced, Coming This Autumn
Fortnite Maker Epic Games Sues Google for Anti-Competitive Behaviour, Blocking OnePlus From Pre-Installing Its App
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »