Meta is putting its muscle behind Muse as the AI app takes off

Sensor Tower put Muse above 3.4 million downloads by Thursday estimates after 2.5 million earlier in the week; Apptopia says 4.3 million, Appfigures about 2.3 million. The app launched September 8 and is US/Canada-only for now.

It hit No. 1 on the US App Store on September 18 and Google Play on September 19, and held both. Sensor Tower saw daily actives jump 27% the day after Meta Connect.

Meta is running house ads across its apps—majority of promotions within 10 days of launch—plus spend on Reddit, TikTok, and YouTube, though ads were only about 6% of impressions through September 19.

This is Meta doing what Meta does: ship a consumer surface, then point a billion-person graph at it. Connor Hayes’s framing matters—Muse promos have to show what the agent does for you, not just shove a feed in your face like Threads.

Early download growth that Sensor Tower compared favorably to ChatGPT’s first days is the signal competitors fear. Connect added video chat with the Muse avatar, Mac computer use, a dedicated email address, partners, and glasses plans. That is a platform roadmap, not a chatbot skin.

We’re for an agent that actually helps people get through the day. We’re also clear-eyed: when house ads dominate Meta’s own promo mix and the same company trains on Muse chats unless you opt out, “personal AI” is still a data business with a friendlier face.

If Muse holds the top of the stores after the Connect sugar high, the consumer AI race has a new front-runner on distribution. Model quality still matters. Habit and placement may matter more.

Sarah Perez reported for TechCrunch on September 25, 2026, citing Sensor Tower, Apptopia, and Appfigures estimates.