Google's Gemini app surpasses 1 billion monthly users, closing gap with ChatGPT

The milestone

Sundar Pichai announced on X that the Gemini app has surpassed 1 billion monthly active users, becoming the 14th Google product to cross the mark and the fastest-growing in the company's history. The figure refers specifically to users opening the standalone Gemini app or visiting the Gemini web interface, not those encountering AI features embedded in Search, Gmail, or Drive. Google spokesperson Alex Joseph said the app reached 1 billion last week, before the public announcement on August 11. The milestone follows steady growth tracked over the past year: 400 million users in May 2025, 750 million in February 2026, 900 million in May 2026, and 950 million reported on the Q2 2026 earnings call in late July.

How people use Gemini

Josh Woodward, Google's VP overseeing Gemini, shared usage details following Pichai's announcement. 63 percent of active users communicate with Gemini through voice input, with an increasing number described as "voice-only" users. Of those using Gemini Live, 20 percent share their camera feeds or screens for assistance. The app generates over 150 million AI images daily, all watermarked with SynthID. On iOS, Gemini has more than 100 million active users, meaning the vast majority of its user base comes from Android, where the app ships preinstalled. Advanced macOS users generate approximately twice as many interactions as on other platforms. Gemini also automates tasks across 40 apps on Android.

The competitive landscape

Gemini's milestone comes weeks after OpenAI confirmed that ChatGPT surpassed 1 billion monthly users. OpenAI spokesperson Lindsay McCallum said ChatGPT crossed 1 billion monthly users "some time ago" and hit 1 billion weekly users in July, with the public confirmation coming in an August 6 blog post. External data suggested ChatGPT reached 1 billion as early as June. OpenAI reported 900 million weekly active users in February 2026, and reaching 1 billion five months later represents a slowdown for a service once touted as the fastest-growing software ever. Anthropic does not disclose user data for Claude, with estimates placing its numbers in the tens of millions.

What comes next

The announcement arrives ahead of Google's Made by Google event in New York, where the Pixel 11 series and additional Gemini-powered features are expected. Google has been replacing Google Assistant with Gemini on Android, making the AI central to its mobile ecosystem. The company recently released Gemini 3.5 Flash, designed to improve coding and autonomous AI-agent tasks. Google is also investing heavily in data centers, chips, and processing capacity to support growing AI demand. Woodward said Google learned much from "the first billion" users and will add new educational tools in the coming weeks, as 38 percent of school-related requests currently include an attachment.