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Hong Kong Unrest Drives 4x Surge in Telegram Downloads, Boosts Other Apps Used by Protesters

Aug 26, 2019·2 min read

Summary

The ongoing civil unrest in Hong Kong has driven significant growth in mobile app downloads among protesters, according to Sensor Tower data. Telegram saw 110,000 new installs in July 2019, a 323% year-over-year increase, compared to 26,000 in July 2018, ranking 7th in downloads. LIHKG, a local message board, experienced a 900% surge, adding 120,000 users.

The news category overall grew 197% YoY, with Stand News adding 92,000 users, 65 times more than the previous year. Telegram now has 1.7 million lifetime installs in Hong Kong and 365 million globally.

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