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Meta’s new AI assistant Muse has opened its mobile run ahead of ChatGPT’s early pace, generating 1.8 million iOS downloads in the US and Canada during its first 12 days, against 1.3 million for ChatGPT over the equivalent period, Apptopia estimates show. Muse also recorded 2.8 million installs worldwide and climbed from second place after launch to No. 1 in Apple’s US App Store, overtaking ChatGPT as Meta pushes beyond conversational answers toward software that completes tasks for users.

Details

• Launch comparison: ChatGPT launched globally on iOS, while Muse debuted in the US and Canada on both iOS and Android. Apptopia narrowed its comparison to iOS activity in those two markets to reduce the mismatch, and Muse remained ahead under that measure.
• Engagement gap: At the comparable point, Muse had about 642,000 daily active users in the US, versus 231,000 for ChatGPT. On iOS alone, Muse recorded roughly 359,000 daily active users. The figures are Apptopia estimates rather than Meta’s internal user totals.
• Agent capabilities: Launched in September, Muse is designed to send emails, book travel, sell items and work with connected services. Meta says it runs through a dedicated secure virtual machine and can link with email, calendars, shopping, payments, health and smart-home applications.
• User controls: Users determine which services Muse may access and which actions it can perform. The model reflects an industry shift from chatbots that supply information toward agents able to carry out several steps, aligned with Mark Zuckerberg’s goal of “personal superintelligence” embedded in daily life.
• Distribution reach: Muse can operate through WhatsApp and connect with Meta’s wider ecosystem. Apptopia estimates more than 95% of Muse users also use Facebook and 63% use Instagram, giving Meta established channels for adoption rather than requiring consumers to form an entirely separate digital habit.
• Security challenge: Meta delayed the original release while working on safety and security measures, and says safeguards keep users in control. Amazon has blocked Muse from its platform, citing concerns about unauthorized activity, privacy and security as access to email, payments, shopping and calendars raises the stakes for trust.

Background

Meta has previously used its social reach to accelerate a new product. Instagram promotion helped drive Threads adoption, and Threads now has more than 500 million monthly users. Muse applies a similar distribution strategy to AI, placing an assistant inside services that already command daily attention.

What’s next

The next indicator will be whether early download and daily-use gains persist as Muse handles more sensitive connected services. Retention, continued App Store performance and any change to Amazon’s block will test whether initial experimentation develops into lasting use.