Recently, the uninstallation rate of ChatGPT's mobile app in the United States surged by 295% following the announcement of OpenAI's partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). According to data from market intelligence company Sensor Tower, the uninstallation rate of ChatGPT on February 28 increased significantly compared to the previous day, a number that was much higher than its average uninstallation rate of 9% over the past 30 days.
In this context, Anthropic, OpenAI's competitor, also benefited from the situation, as the download volume of its Claude app rose sharply during the same period. Specifically, on February 27, the download volume of Claude increased by 37% compared to the previous day, and then increased by another 51% on February 28. Anthropic had previously stated that it would not cooperate with the U.S. Department of Defense due to concerns about the potential risks of AI being used for surveillance and automated weapons.
As the uninstallation rate of ChatGPT increased, it became evident that users were concerned about OpenAI's collaboration with the Department of Defense. Data showed that after the partnership announcement, the app's download volume also declined. On February 27, the download volume increased by 14%, but then dropped by 13% and 5% respectively in the following two days. Meanwhile, Claude took the top spot on the App Store in the United States and has remained there ever since, climbing more than 20 positions from a week earlier.
User feedback also reflected this shift in sentiment, with one-star reviews for ChatGPT increasing by 775% on February 28, while five-star reviews decreased by 50%. Additionally, another data provider, Appfigures, confirmed that Claude's daily average downloads in the United States exceeded those of ChatGPT for the first time, and observed that Claude's daily average downloads increased by as much as 88%.
In international markets, Claude also performed well, ranking first in six countries including Belgium, Canada, and Germany. According to Similarweb data, Claude's download volume in the United States reached an all-time high in the past week, even reaching 20 times that of January.
Key Points:
🌐 After ChatGPT's partnership with the Department of Defense, its uninstallation rate skyrocketed by 295%.
📈 The download volume of the competing Claude app significantly increased and has now surpassed ChatGPT.
💬 User feedback was strong, with one-star reviews for ChatGPT increasing by 775%.
