The surge in downloads coincides with ChatGPT’s recent introduction of new image generation–Ghibli images.
Smart phone use (Photo:IANS)
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has dethroned social media biggies — Instagram and TikTok — to claim the title of the world’s most downloaded app in March, 2025, as per a report by Appfigures.
According to Appfigures data, ChatGPT’s installs reached 46 million new downloads during March putting ChatGPT app slightly ahead of Instagram, which fell to the No. 2 position. TikTok followed at No. 3.
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The surge in downloads coincides with ChatGPT’s recent introduction of new image generation–Ghibli images.
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This led to a viral moment for ChatGPT in late March and early April as users across the world discovered they could generate images and memes in the style of Studio Ghibli, the popular Japanese animation studio behind movies like “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away.”
OpenAI also removed some safeguards around content moderation policies for images in March and upgraded ChatGPT’s AI voice feature.
However, the firm speculates that new features weren’t the main driver behind March month’s growth for the popular chatbot.
Appfigures Founder and CEO Ariel Michaeli stated, “It’s starting to feel like ChatGPT is becoming a verb, a lot like how Google did in the 2000s, to the point where many don’t think ‘AI’ but rather ChatGPT.”
“So when there’s excitement about AI — even about competition like Grok, Manus AI, or DeepSeek — many who are not swimming in this topic come for AI but really download ChatGPT,” Michaeli added.
Meanwhile, Instagram had previously held the No. 2 spot across both the Apple App Store and Google Play in both January and February of this year, while TikTok remained No. 1.
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