Photo Credit: Solen Feyissa
The digital app landscape is forever shifting—TikTok has been dethroned by ChatGPT as the most downloaded app worldwide. ChatGPT was downloaded 52 million times in April 2025 across both Google Play and iOS.
This milestone marks a dramatic change in app dominance, especially among the younger Gen Z cohort—who often drive trends in both music and technology. TikTok has held the crown of most downloaded app for several years now. The short-form video format has fueled music trends, launched careers, and continues to shape global listening habits. But ChatGPT recently outpaced TikTok’s 39 million downloads last month to claim the most downloaded app title.
OpenAI rolled out several major updates in March, including a significant upgrade to image generation and improvements to AI voice features. The app’s flexibility and creative potential has resonated with Gen Z, who prioritize tools that enable rapid content creation and personalized interaction. That’s one reason TikTok sister app CapCut gained such popularity—it makes editing videos for the platform much easier.
Photo Credit: Backlinko
ChatGPT’s conversational interface, image tools, and generation features align with Gen Z’s demand for instant, interactive experiences. The app saw a 12% increase in downloads from March to April—and a whopping 38% jump since January 2025. This growth reflects the broader shift in how young creators are engaging with technology. While TikTok’s influence remains strong, it’s no longer the top dog when it comes to downloads.
Both TikTok and Instagram are neck-and-neck, reflecting the latter’s efforts to woo younger audiences with short-form content. Instagram enhanced its ‘Explore’ page to more accurately feel like TikTok’s ‘For You’ page. It has also included several interactive features for Reels, including polls, questions, and group chat capabilities. While both TikTok and Instagram vie for attention from Gen Z—ChatGPT is dominating downloads with several new updates intended to make AI-guided content creation even easier for the younger generation.
Content shared from www.digitalmusicnews.com.