Khaberni - "Apple" announced on Wednesday its annual list of top downloaded apps and games in the year 2025, with ChatGPT taking the first place among the most downloaded free apps on iPhone in the United States, surpassing major names such as "Google," "TikTok," "Instagram," and "WhatsApp."
The app, developed by "OpenAI," climbed to the top after being fourth in 2024, while the number one spot the previous year was held by the Chinese shopping app "Taobao."
In 2023, ChatGPT did not make it to the top ten despite its strong launch on iPhone after being released in May of that year, according to a report published by "TechCrunch" and reviewed by "Al Arabiya Business".
This leap shows that artificial intelligence has become a fundamental part of daily usage in the United States, indicating "OpenAI's" ability to compete with "Google's" dominance in the mobile search field, with an increasing number of users relying on smart conversations to get direct answers.
The indications of this progress were clear from the beginning of the year, as ChatGPT became the most downloaded app globally in March, surpassing giants like "TikTok" and "Instagram."
Alongside this, Apple revealed the lists of the most sold apps and games on iPhone and iPad, along with the top Apple Arcade games.
Block Blast! topped the list of free games on iPhone, while Minecraft maintained its position as the most downloaded paid game.
On the iPad, the "YouTube" app topped the list of free apps, while the creative app Procreate took the first place for paid apps.
Top free apps on iPhone
1. ChatGPT.
2. Threads.
3. Google.
4. TikTok.
5. WhatsApp.
6. Instagram.
7. YouTube.
8. Google Maps.
9. Gmail.
10. Gemini.
Top paid apps on iPhone:
HotSchedules, Shadowrocket, Procreate Pocket, and others.
Top free games on iPhone:
Block Blast!, Fortnite, Roblox, and others.
Top paid games on iPhone:
Minecraft, Balatro, Plague Inc., and others.
Top free apps on iPad:
YouTube, ChatGPT, Netflix, Disney+, and others.
Top games on Apple Arcade:
NFL Retro Bowl ’26, NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition, Sneaky Sasquatch, and others.
The complete lists confirm that 2025 was unquestionably the year of smart applications, with a clear rise of artificial intelligence experiences over traditional social networks.
