ChatGPT's mobile app may be experiencing slowing growth in terms of downloads and daily active users, according to recent analysis from Apptopia. The third-party app intelligence firm has been tracking the chatbot's performance since its release and has observed a plateau in new user acquisition. Specifically, estimates suggest that global download growth slowed after April, with a predicted 8.1% decline in month-over-month percentage change.
Diving Deeper into Mobile App Development
Apptopia's analysis also reveals that daily active user (DAU) growth has leveled off over the past month. This stagnation may be attributed to increased competition and changes to ChatGPT's AI model, which could have impacted user engagement. Interestingly, while total downloads remain high, with millions of new installs per day, this slowing growth rate suggests that the app's overall pace of growth is indeed slowing.
Understanding User Behavior
Further metrics indicate a decline in average time spent per DAU in the US, dropping 22.5% since July, and a decrease in average sessions per DAU by 20.7%. This suggests that US users are spending less time within the app and opening it fewer times per day. However, user churn has stabilized during this period, indicating that ChatGPT is now retaining its core users and experiencing fewer brief experiments followed by abandonment.
Factors Influencing Growth
The slowing growth may be attributed to various factors, including increased competition from Google's Gemini and changes in user engagement following an April update designed to make the chatbot's AI model less sycophantic. The August release of GPT-5, which aimed to be less personable, could also have played a role.
Insights into Mobile App Development
Apptopia notes that ChatGPT's average time spent per DAU and average sessions per DAU metrics were trending downward before Google's Gemini shot up the charts in September. While Gemini's growth may have influenced some of the recent declines, it doesn't fully explain the overall trend.
The Path Forward for Mobile App Development
Ultimately, to boost core metrics again, OpenAI will need to invest in app marketing or release new features, much like established mobile apps do. Relying solely on novelty is no longer sufficient; ChatGPT must find innovative ways to engage users and drive growth in the competitive world of mobile app development.