🏅Telegram is the #1 most downloaded mobile app in China on Android, according to Google Play. Access to Telegram requires a VPN in China, but Chinese people are smart — they like Telegram and find a way to use it.

🇨🇳 Last week, China forced Apple to remove apps such as Telegram from its Chinese App Store. We haven’t seen any decrease in downloads coming from China — and I don’t think Telegram was the main target of this change.

🍎 It was a move against Apple itself: the Chinese authorities are forcing more of their citizens to switch from iPhones to Android smartphones produced by Chinese companies such as Xiaomi. Unlike iPhones, most Android phones allow sideloading apps outside app stores — such as the direct version of Telegram — so more users from China will migrate to Android.

Once again, Apple shot itself in the foot with its centralized “walled garden” app policies. As a result of this change, the iPhone market share in China will keep shrinking. Prioritizing profits over freedom for users is not a good long-term strategy👆