ChatGPT Android app surged to the top of Google Play’s non-game downloads in March 2025.
While the rise was tied to the launch of its image-generation feature, a deeper look into user reviews shows that its real strength lies elsewhere, education.
A review analysis by InboxArmy examined 88,998 user comments posted between July 2023 and April 2025. Out of these, 23,605 described how people were using the app. The remaining 65,393 mostly flagged bugs or offered general feedback.
Reviews detailing actual usage were sorted into 20 categories and scored based on sentiment.
Students Are the Core Users – 41.49% Use It for Learning
Education stands out as the top use case, representing 41.49% of all task-specific reviews. It’s not just a side benefit, but the app’s main job for nearly half its users. This points to massive uptake among students and independent learners who now rely on the app for studying, solving problems, and completing assignments.
Sentiment was overwhelmingly positive: 89.41% of reviews in this category commended the app, with an average rating of 4.60 out of 5. Many users described it as a reliable source of academic support.
“Outstanding and Helpful! I’ve been using this app for school projects and learning, and it’s amazing! It helps me solve math problems with detailed explanations… It’s like having a super-smart tutor available anytime.”
Visual Tools Attract Curiosity, Then Disappointment
Despite the commendations around image generation, the “Visual Content” category came in second at 18.58%—but the feedback was far less flattering.
Only 31.6% of users left positive reviews. A combined 68.3% either posted negative or neutral reactions, mostly slamming the quality and usability of the image outputs. The average satisfaction score in this category fell to 3.33.
A user wrote: “I looooove ChatGPT… The images ALWAYS come out messed up and poor quality.” That single review attracted more than 2,800 helpful votes, reflecting the wider dissatisfaction with the feature many initially downloaded the app for.
Quick Research, Self-Growth, and Work Support Follow
Research and information-gathering use cases took the third spot, accounting for 9.4% of specific mentions. Here, 74.83% of reviews were positive. Users appreciated the ability to get quick answers and overviews, with the average rating landing at 4.31.
Personal growth use cases, such as journaling, goal setting, and mindfulness, came in next at 7.29%. Not only did this group show high engagement, but it also recorded the highest satisfaction level: 96.05% of users gave positive feedback, with an average score of 4.82.
Work and professional communication, noted in 6.23% of reviews, also showed strong approval. One user wrote: “ChatGPT has helped me with simple questions, troubleshooting, research, editing, and so much more. It has also helped me in my personal life by breaking down and comprehending thoughts and life experiences/questions.”
Other mentions included content creation (5.0%), translation tasks (4.31%), and software development (2.73%). These had fewer total reviews but still contributed to the overall picture of how users apply the app in real life.
The findings show that ChatGPT’s popularity on mobile isn’t being driven by its most publicised features like image generation. Instead, it’s being used day-to-day by people trying to get through school, better themselves, or simplify work.
The app may look like a creative innovation, but when it comes down to usage, it’s the academic and practical functions that actually matter.
Scott Cohen, CEO of InboxArmy, summed up the motivation behind the report: “We observed significant growth in ChatGPT mobile app downloads and wanted to understand how users engage with the app in practice. By analyzing nearly 89,000 Google Play reviews, we aimed to identify the specific tasks that drive daily usage.”
The results speak for themselves. ChatGPT’s power does not lie in the flashiest features, but in the consistent, daily support it offers students, workers, and learners navigating real problems on the go.
