Apple Unveils Most Downloaded Apps on U.S. App Store for 2025
In its annual retrospective, Apple has unveiled the most downloaded applications on the U.S. App Store for the year 2025. The data reveals a predominant emphasis on artificial intelligence tools, social media platforms, and indispensable utilities, notably excluding gaming applications.
Spearheading the list is ChatGPT by OpenAI, achieving the coveted No. 1 position for the first time. This remarkable ascent follows a leap from fourth place in the previous year, which was dominated by the Chinese shopping application Temu, and a complete absence from the top ten in 2023.
The complete roster of the top 10 free iPhone apps (non-gaming) for 2025 is as follows:
- 1. ChatGPT (OpenAI);
- 2. Threads (Meta);
- 3. Google (Google);
- 4. TikTok (ByteDance);
- 5. WhatsApp (Meta);
- 6. Instagram (Meta);
- 7. YouTube (Google);
- 8. Google Maps (Google);
- 9. Gmail (Google);
- 10. Google Gemini (Google).
This compilation underscores a resounding year for Google, whose applications claim an impressive half of the list. This formidable presence highlights the company’s unwavering influence over essential mobile functions such as search, video streaming, navigation, email, and increasingly, artificial intelligence.
Despite ongoing dialogue regarding a potential decline at Google in light of escalating competition in the AI sector, these download figures narrate a contrasting reality: the ecosystem remains pivotal for countless iPhone users.
A notable newcomer in the AI category is Google Gemini, making its entrance at No. 10, propelled by significant updates and enhancements throughout the year that markedly elevated its functionality and recognition.
Although ChatGPT garnered significant attention with its swift rise to prominence, Gemini’s status as the sole other AI chatbot in the top ten illustrates Google’s advancing role in consumer-facing artificial intelligence, confirming its competitive re-entry despite previous slower momentum.
Meta also showcased robust performance, claiming three positions on the list with Threads—surprisingly at No. 2, indicating sustained enthusiasm for the alternative to X/Twitter—alongside WhatsApp and Instagram. TikTok maintained a steady presence at No. 4, showcasing resilience amidst ongoing regulatory examinations in the United States.
The rankings, disseminated in mid-December 2025, are derived from actual download statistics from the U.S. App Store throughout the calendar year. This data diverges from Apple’s separate App Store Awards, which recognize editorial selections based on innovation rather than sheer popularity.
As we transition into 2026, the rivalry among AI-centric applications is poised for escalation. With Google further integrating Gemini into its suite of services and OpenAI perpetuating its innovation with ChatGPT, the subsequent year’s list may see a proliferation of direct confrontations among leading technology entities.
What remains evident is that forecasts predicting the downfall of Google increasingly resemble sensationalist media narratives, as user preferences consistently favor its trustworthy, omnipresent tools.
Source link: Quasa.io.
