Hajra Naz
Elon Musk’s X is facing a sharp slowdown on Android devices, even as iOS downloads continue to climb, according to fresh data from app intelligence platform Appfigures.
In July 2025, X downloads on Google Play dropped by a steep 44% year-over-year, marking one of the platform’s sharpest declines to date. By contrast, installs on the Apple App Store rose 15% YoY, showing that iPhone users remain more engaged.
This Android slump has dragged down the company’s overall performance. Total global mobile downloads fell 26% year-over-year, a slight improvement from June, when downloads were down 35% YoY. That earlier decline was also fueled by Android losses, with installs collapsing by nearly 49% YoY.
Industry analysts have long pointed out that the X Android app lags behind its iOS counterpart. It is buggy, unstable, and prone to crashes, a problem Musk’s team seems keen to fix. Nikita Bier, X’s recently hired Head of Product, is known for scaling viral apps like Gas and TBH. He has hinted that a major Android overhaul is coming.
In a post on X, Bier revealed the company is hiring for an “Android Dream Team” to rebuild the app from scratch. He also boasted that X’s iOS app had just hit a record-breaking week of installs, possibly to shift focus away from the Android slump.
The big question remains: Where are Android users going? Rival Bluesky has slowed in growth, pulling just 119,000 downloads on Google Play in July—far below X’s millions of installs across platforms. Meta’s Threads, however, is gaining traction. Its daily active users are steadily catching up to X, suggesting it could be absorbing some of the Android migration.
The trouble doesn’t stop at installs. X is also struggling with subscription revenue. According to Appfigures, the app generated $16.9M in net revenue in July, a dip from the $18.8M earned in March. While slightly better than June’s $16.8M, this signals weak momentum in premium growth.
Part of the problem is competition from Grok, the AI chatbot Musk spun off into its app. Many users who originally subscribed to X Premium for AI perks are now shifting to Grok’s stand-alone service.
For now, advertising remains X’s primary revenue driver, but the platform’s mobile growth challenges—especially on Android—raise fresh questions about its long-term strategy in the social media and AI-driven app economy.
