The WhatsApp alternative Telegram is establishing itself more and more in Germany, as new figures confirm. In this country, the number of regular users has risen sharply in recent years. The controversial messenger is a thorn in the side of politics.

Version:8.2.7

Languages:German

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Telegram: Reach increased in Germany

Instead of WhatsApp, more and more people in Germany are using the alternative Telegram. According to a new survey, the number of users who regularly communicate via Telegram has risen sharply. In 2018 it was only 7 percent of those surveyed, that is Share has now risen to 15 percent. So in three years the number has more than doubled. Messenger users in Germany between the ages of 18 and 64 were surveyed (source: Statista).

A surge was observed at Telegram, especially in the first half of 2021, when the worldwide download numbers rose significantly to around 215 million. Telegram is particularly popular in India, Russia and Indonesia. In August 2021, a real milestone was reached when the app broke the sound barrier of a total of one billion downloads. At the time Telegram is supposed to open 500 million users have come.

Telegram’s success can also be explained by WhatsApp’s weakness. The messenger also scared off quite a few users new conditions of participationwhich, among other things, provide for a data exchange with the parent company Facebook (today Meta).

The most important WhatsApp alternatives at a glance:

Telegram: Popular with conspiracy mystics

In this country, Telegram is also a kind of reservoir for supporters of right-wing extremist positions and sometimes dangerous conspiracy stories. The messenger comes under more and more political pressure, because one Control of the content is not made possible. The Russian operators have relocated their headquarters to the United Arab Emirates and are not responding to hearing letters from the German Foreign Ministry. A tougher crackdown is now planned.