Meta AI’s mobile app experienced a sharp increase in daily users and downloads on iOS and Android. New data from Similarweb correlates the spike with the September launch of its AI-generated video feed, “Vibes.”
According to analysis from market intelligence provider Similarweb, daily active users for the application reached 2.7 million on October 17, a substantial rise from approximately 775,000 just four weeks prior. Daily app installs also climbed, reaching 300,000 new downloads per day on October 17, compared with a figure of under 200,000 daily downloads several weeks before. For context, the application had recorded just 4,000 daily downloads on the same date one year earlier.
The surge in user activity aligns with the timing of a new feature launch. On September 25, Meta AI introduced its “Vibes” feed, which brought short-form, AI-generated videos to the mobile app. The data analysis indicates a correlation between this launch and the subsequent increase in daily active users on both iOS and Android. Similarweb reported it has not identified a meaningful correlation in search or advertising metrics. The firm did note, however, that its analytical model might not capture any internal promotions that Meta could be running on its Facebook or Instagram platforms.
The analysis also considers external factors, particularly the recent attention surrounding OpenAI’s video generator, Sora. After its own app reached the top of the App Store, the publicity may have benefited Meta AI. While the data does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship, one possibility raised is that users were driven to try Meta AI to compare it with Sora. A second hypothesis suggests Meta AI may have gained users who were unable to access Sora due to its invite-only status. This scenario suggests that OpenAI’s restricted rollout could have boosted engagement for its competitors.
On October 17, Meta AI’s growth in daily active users outpaced several key competitors. The app saw a 15.58% increase in its worldwide daily active user count. In contrast, other prominent AI applications experienced a decline in their user engagement over the same period, according to the data.
- ChatGPT: Saw a 3.51% decrease in daily active users.
- Grok: Experienced a 7.35% decrease in daily active users.
- Perplexity: Recorded a 2.29% decrease in daily active users.
