Twitter rebranding to X leads to drop in downloads

Twitter’s morphing into X may have led to some eye-catching headlines, but it didn’t translate into more downloads. 

When Twitter changed to X on Apple’s App Store on July 31, it quickly affected how many people were downloading the app. According to data from media strategist Eric Seufert, the X app saw a drop in its ranking on the App Store from 35 to 54. 

Mr. Seufert attributes the crash to confusion. 

“My hypothesis is that, while the terminally online are entirely aware of Twitter’s rebrand to X, most consumers aren’t,” he posted on X. 

The look of X probably doesn’t help, either. When a customer uses the App Store to search for Twitter, an X shows up, and its black logo and description could leave the uninitiated confused. 

Mr. Seufert’s data compared the popularity of other mainstay apps on the App Store, such as WhatsApp, Threads and TikTok. The chart shows that the other nonrebranded apps remained popular while X faltered. 

Twitter / X continues to experience Top Downloaded chart rank decline following the app’s name change from Twitter to X. https://t.co/ugwUgDL19Y pic.twitter.com/cKyFPUs1MB</ a>

— Eric Seufert (@eric_seufert) August 11, 2023

The data comes as X owner Elon Musk is trying to retain as many users as possible and expand revenue. As Meta continues to develop its Threads, the threat of X losing alienated users grows. Since Mr. Musk took over the company last year, its active user base has declined. However, the platform still boasts over 400 million active users even after the rebranding.