People have downloaded the AI assistant in droves over the past year, making ChatGPT the most downloaded app of the year and the second most downloaded app globally.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has been rapidly increasing in recent years, and people are now downloading AI apps in large numbers. Sensor Tower's latest Global Mobile Report reveals that AI assistants will lead in terms of most downloads, in-app purchases, and time spent in 2025. ChatGPT has benefited the most from this trend, with downloads from both the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store increasing rapidly.
ChatGPT becomes the second most downloaded app.
According to Sensor Tower data, ChatGPT's downloads increased by 148 percent, in-app purchases by 254 percent, and time spent on the app by 426 percent in 2025. This means that people are not only downloading the app more frequently, but are also paying for premium features and spending more time on it. As a result, ChatGPT became the most downloaded app last year and the second most downloaded app worldwide. Other apps downloaded in this category include Google Gemini, DeepSeek, DuaBio, Grok, Metai, and Microsoft Copilot.
Social media apps continue to dominate
Gaming apps have been left behind in this wave of AI apps, but social media platforms still dominate. Last year, users worldwide spent 2.5 trillion hours on social media apps. This means each user spent approximately 90 minutes daily on social media platforms, a 5 percent increase compared to 2024. TikTok still leads in terms of downloads, in-app purchases, and total time spent.
India leads in downloads of AI apps
India leads the world in downloading generative AI apps and using chatbots. India alone accounts for 20 percent of all app downloads worldwide, but lags behind in in-app purchases and usage. This means that people in India are not spending money on premium or other features after downloading an app. In 2025, only 1 percent of Indian users made in-app purchases.
