U.S. uninstallations of ChatGPT’s mobile app rose 295% day-over-day on Saturday, February 28, following news that OpenAI had reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense, which the Trump administration has referred to as the Department of War.
The figures, provided by Sensor Tower, mark a sharp increase compared with ChatGPT’s typical 9% day-over-day uninstall rate over the past 30 days.
Download Shifts Between ChatGPT And Claude
At the same time, U.S. downloads of Claude, developed by Anthropic, rose 37% day-over-day on Friday, February 27, and 51% on Saturday, February 28, after Anthropic said it would not partner with the U.S. defense department.
Anthropic stated it could not agree to terms due to concerns that its AI models might be used for domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons.
Sensor Tower data suggests that some consumers responded positively to Anthropic’s stance. Meanwhile, ChatGPT’s U.S. downloads fell 13% day-over-day on Saturday after news of the DoD partnership became public. Downloads declined a further 5% day-over-day on Sunday. By contrast, downloads had increased 14% day-over-day on Friday prior to the announcement.
App Store Rankings And Reviews
Claude’s App Store ranking also shifted. The app reached No. 1 on the U.S. App Store on Saturday and remained in that position as of Monday, March 2. That represented a jump of more than 20 ranks compared with February 22, 2026.
Sensor Tower reported a 775% surge in one-star reviews for ChatGPT on Saturday, followed by a further 100% day-over-day increase on Sunday. During the same period, five-star reviews declined by 50%.
Other market intelligence providers reported similar patterns.
Appfigures said Claude’s total daily U.S. downloads on Saturday exceeded ChatGPT’s for the first time. Appfigures estimated Claude’s U.S. downloads rose 88% day-over-day on Saturday.
The company also said Claude became the No. 1 free iPhone app in six countries outside the United States: Belgium, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway and Switzerland.
Similarweb reported that Claude’s U.S. downloads over the past week were about 20 times higher than in January, though it noted that the increase may reflect factors beyond political developments.
Featured image credits: Flickr
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