Apple: Temu Remains App Store’s Most Downloaded Free App

Temu was the most downloaded free app in Apple’s App Store in 2024, Apple said Monday (Dec. 16).

The app earned that ranking across iPhone and iPad, Apple said in a Monday press release.

In 2023, when Apple broke down its rankings by device, Temu was ranked first among free iPhone apps and ninth among free iPad apps, according to a Dec. 12, 2023, press release.

It was reported in November that Temu was increasing its offering of toys in America and Europe while also gaining greater prominence as a seller of all sorts of products. The platform has been gaining ground in several product categories by offering consumers goods at low prices and offering sellers lower fees.

Threads was the App Store’s second most downloaded free app in 2024, after being ranked third among free iPhone apps in 2023, according to Apple’s press releases.

The text-based social media platform was launched in July 2023 and gained more than 175 million monthly active users in its first year, Meta founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a July 3 post on the platform.

TikTok was ranked third this year, up from the No. 5 spot among free iPhone apps a year earlier, the press releases said.

The app is facing a ban in the United States if its owner, Chinese company ByteDance, does not sell it by Jan. 19. A bill with these requirements was signed into law by President Joe Biden in April after concerns that TikTok presented a national security threat.

ChatGPT, the official app by OpenAI, appeared on the list for the first time, taking the fourth spot in the rankings, per the Apple press releases.

OpenAI launched a ChatGPT app for iOS in the U.S. in May 2023, saying it would expand the app for its generative artificial intelligence model to other countries and add an app for Android.

Google secured the No. 5 spot in the rankings in 2024, up from No. 7 among free iPhone apps in 2023, according to the Apple press releases.

Rounding out the Top 10 most downloaded free apps in the App Store this year were Instagram, WhatsApp Messenger, CapCut — Video Editor, YouTube and Gmail.

“The App Store is the safest and best place for users to discover and download apps and games, thanks to the integration of industry-leading tools, technologies, and expert human curation led by App Review and Editorial teams,” Apple’s Monday press release said.