Key Points
- Apple’s 2025 free iPhone app list places ChatGPT at number one in the United States.
- ChatGPT overtakes major platforms including Threads, Google, TikTok, WhatsApp, Instagram, and YouTube.
- The AI chatbot’s rise reflects growing consumer reliance on conversational AI for everyday tasks.
- Google’s suite of services (search, maps, email, Gemini) occupies multiple top‑ten spots.
- The ranking signals potential shifts in the mobile search market away from traditional search engines.
- Apple also released top rankings for paid apps, free games, paid games, and Apple Arcade titles.
Apple Announces 2025 Free iPhone App Rankings
Apple unveiled its yearly compilation of the most downloaded free iPhone applications in the United States, focusing on non‑gaming categories. The announcement placed OpenAI’s ChatGPT at the summit of the list, marking the AI chatbot as the most installed free app for 2025.
ChatGPT’s ascent follows a steady climb; it entered the top ten a year earlier and moved from fourth place the previous year to first. The app’s surge signals a broader shift in consumer behavior, with users increasingly turning to conversational AI for everyday tasks and information retrieval.
Competitive Landscape
Behind ChatGPT, the ranking featured a mix of social, communication, and search platforms. Threads secured the second position, while Google occupied the third slot. Other notable entries included TikTok, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Google Maps, Gmail, and Google’s Gemini.
The presence of these established services demonstrates the competitive environment in which ChatGPT now operates, directly contending with long‑standing favorites for user attention and device storage.
Implications for the Mobile Market
The ranking illustrates how artificial‑intelligence applications are becoming integral to mobile ecosystems. By surpassing both social networking apps and essential utilities like Google Maps, ChatGPT showcases the growing reliance on AI-driven conversational interfaces.
Industry observers note that this trend could reshape the mobile search market, traditionally dominated by Google, as more users opt for a chatbot experience when seeking answers or performing tasks on their phones.
Broader App Ecosystem Highlights
Apple also published parallel lists for paid apps, free and paid games, and top Apple Arcade titles. While ChatGPT led the free app category, other leaders emerged across different segments, such as Block Blast! topping free games and Minecraft leading paid games.
These complementary rankings provide a comprehensive view of user preferences across entertainment, productivity, and utility categories, underscoring the diverse ways in which iPhone users engage with the App Store.
Source: techcrunch.com