This Wednesday, Apple released its 'Most Popular Apps and Games List', which showed that OpenAI's ChatGPT has clinched the top position for free iPhone app (excluding games) downloads in the U.S. market for 2025. This achievement marks a significant milestone, highlighting the profound integration of artificial intelligence into the everyday lives of Americans.

ChatGPT has managed to outpace mainstream social media apps such as Meta's Threads and Instagram, along with traditional utility apps like Google Maps. This shift has disrupted the conventional pattern of app traffic distribution and underscores ChatGPT's potential to challenge Google's long-held dominance in the mobile search market.

Looking back at ChatGPT's journey, its ascent has been nothing short of remarkable. It didn't make it into the top 10 download rankings in 2023, but leaped to fourth place in 2024 and finally soared to the pinnacle in 2025. Moreover, it previously also claimed the title of the most downloaded app on a global scale.