This Messaging App Added Over 1 Million New Users After Facebook Announced That It Bought WhatsApp

After Facebook announced that it was buying WhatsApp for $19 billion, another messaging app called Telegram gained over 1 million new users within two days, according to the company's official twitter account.

On February 20th, Telegram tweeted that it gained 500,000 new users.

To the good news. 500,000 people signed up for Telegram today.

- Telegram Messenger (@telegram) February 20, 2014

Another tweet appeared on February 21st touting 800,000 one day later

#Telegram is now the #1 App in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Mexico + 6 more countries. Over 800 000 new users signed up today

- Telegram Messenger (@telegram) February 21, 2014

The free app lets iPhone and Android users send encrypted messages, photos, videos, and documents to anyone else who has Telegram. It is the fifth most downloaded app in the app store right now.

TechCrunch writes that Pavel and Nikolai Durov-the brothers who created Russia's version of Facebook, called Vkonkakte-launched Telegram to ease people's concerns over privacy.

The big differences between WhatsApp and Telegram is that WhatsApp has more members but messages are vulnerable to being intercepted by hackers, while Telegram is smaller and much more secure.

Here's how Telegram works:

After you download the app, you must provide your phone number and wait for an text message to approve it.

This is the main page for you profile. You can choose to add picture and adjust your security settings.

To chat with someone, you can pick either New Chat or Secret Chat. You can only talk to people in your network who have Telegram.

In order to invite people, go to contacts and select friends to message asking them to join Telegram's network.