ChatGPT usage plummets: users are spending less time on the app

ChatGPT is experiencing a period of stagnation in the growth of its app. According to data from Apptopia, global downloads fell by 8.1% month over month, amid strong competition and criticism of changes to its artificial intelligence model.

The analysis shows that, although the app continues to accumulate millions of daily installations, the growth rate has dropped significantly since April. TechCrunch pointed out that the reasons may be related to the change in the chatbot's personality and the emergence of Google's new AI model.

Fewer downloads, less usage, and more selective users

According to Apptopia, the average usage time per daily active user dropped by 22.5% since July, while the average number of sessions fell by 20.7%. This indicates that users in the United States open the app less frequently and spend less time on it.

Even so, the churn rate has stabilized. This suggests that ChatGPT is retaining its core user base, although it is losing ground among those who only used it out of curiosity. In July, the average usage time was around 27 minutes; by October 10, it had already dropped to 22 minutes.

Google's Gemini, the new direct competitor

The momentum of Gemini has made the outlook even more complicated. Its AI image editing model, known as "Nano Banana", managed to position Google's app among the most downloaded in the world in September, stealing the spotlight from ChatGPT.

Although Gemini's rise explains part of the decline in metrics, the underlying problem lies in the evolution of OpenAI itself. The transition from GPT-4o to GPT-5 caused backlash among users who noticed a "loss of personality" in the responses.

OpenAI seeks to regain its connection with users

In response to criticism, the company announced that it will soon allow users to customize the chatbot's personality to adapt it to each user.