Messaging platform Signal saw a surge in downloads this week after WhatsApp made a modification to its privacy policy. On Saturday morning, Signal tweeted that it had topped the list of free apps on Apple’s App Store in India.
Following an endorsement by the world’s richest man Elon Musk, the messaging app saw a massive uptake in downloads. Due to the surge, Signal’s servers were unable to handle the influx and verification codes were delayed. However, that issue seems to be resolved.
Signal had tweeted, “Verification codes are currently delayed across several providers because so many new people are trying to join Signal right now (we can barely register our excitement). We are working with carriers to resolve this as quickly as possible. Hang in there.”
Apart from India, Signal also topped the charts of free apps on Apple’s App Store in Austria, France, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, and Switzerland. According to data from Sensor Tower, Signal was ranked 968 on Apple App Store’s list of free apps going into the start of the week, climbing 967 spots in less than a week to make it to No. 1.
The Times of India reported that Sensor Tower data suggests that the downloads of the app from India have increased by 79 percent from January 1 to 6 as compared to December 26 to 31 as per data. Apart from Elon Musk, Signal has also been endorsed by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey as well as Edward Snowden, a whistleblower and privacy advocate.