Poppular new messaging app Telegram could be one of the main beneficiaries of Facebook’s deal to buy WhatsApp after it saw subscriptions rise by 300% immediately after the deal was announced. WhatsApp’s CEO promised today that “nothing will change” in the app. But some users are wary of their data being used to sell advertising, and are already dumping it for one of the many alternatives.
There doesn’t appear to be drones of WhatsApp users running for a rival service following the messaging app’s $19 billion acquisition by Facebook. Telegram — a security-focused messenger from Russia — looks to have netted the bulk of the migrants after announcing a record 500,000 new sign-ups after the deal, while other apps enjoying spikes include Threema, which attracted 200,000 new users. Launched last year, Telegram is a messaging client for iOS and Android that is very WhatsApp-like with a basic user interface and focus on sending messages quickly and efficiently. Like its big rival, Telegram doesn’t serve ads, but there are key differences between the two.