The Chinese shopping app Temu has once again claimed the title of the most downloaded free app in the United States, according to a list of top apps and games released by Apple on Monday. This is not the first time Temu has taken the top spot; it first became the most downloaded app last year, taking the crown from TikTok, which had held the title in 2022.
TikTok, which is currently facing a potential ban in the U.S., managed to secure the third position on the list this year. It was surpassed by Instagram Threads, which climbed to the second spot after being ranked third in 2023.
Apple publishes its list of the most popular apps and games at the end of each year to reflect what users are actually downloading on their devices. This list is different from the selections made by App Store editors, who often highlight other apps as top choices for the year.
Interestingly, this is the only year-end list from Apple where ChatGPT makes an appearance. Last year, Apple largely overlooked AI chatbots in its editorial picks, choosing to focus on more traditional apps aimed at creative users when selecting finalists for its app of the year. The award for app of the year ultimately went to a professional video editing app called Kino, created by the same team behind the pro camera app Halide.
Read Also: What Is An AI Agent?
In 2024, ChatGPT has risen to become the fourth most downloaded app in the U.S. App Store, just ahead of Google’s Search app. This is a significant change from last year, when ChatGPT did not make it into the top 10 after being released on the iPhone in May 2023. Now, it has surpassed Google in terms of downloads.
Meta’s apps, which include Facebook and Instagram, are still popular but have been slipping in rankings over recent years. This time, Instagram and WhatsApp ranked sixth and seventh, respectively, followed by CapCut (also owned by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance), YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps, Shein, and Facebook, which came in at number 13.
Completing the top 20 list are Telegram, Snapchat, Cash App, Spotify, Max (formerly HBO Max), McDonald’s, and Amazon.
In addition to the most downloaded apps, Apple also released lists for the top free games, top paid games, top paid apps, and top Apple Arcade titles for 2024. You can find the full lists on the App Store’s Today page.
One notable mention is the game Block Blast!, which is inspired by Tetris and was the most downloaded free game of the year in the U.S. It was followed by other popular games like Monopoly Go!, Roblox, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, and Township.
For Apple Arcade, the top game was NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition, followed by titles like Snake.io+, Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Sneaky Sasquatch, and Bloons TD 6+.
