ChatGPT uninstalls surge 295% following DoD partnership

A partnership between OpenAI and the Department of Defense (the US military agency) has triggered an immediate consumer backlash in the U.S. According to data from market intelligence provider Sensor Tower, uninstalls of ChatGPT’s mobile app in the U.S. surged by 295% day-over-day on Saturday, February 28. This represents a sizable increase compared to the app’s typical day-over-day uninstall rate of 9% measured over the previous 30 days. The sudden drop-off came directly after news of the military partnership became public.

Meanwhile, competitor Anthropic experienced a concurrent surge in adoption after publicly declining to partner with the defense agency. Anthropic stated it declined the deal because it could not agree on terms due to concerns that AI would be used to surveil Americans and be used in fully autonomous weaponry. Following this stance, U.S. downloads for Anthropic’s Claude app jumped up by 37% day-over-day on Friday, February 27, and rose 51% as of Saturday, February 28. Another market intelligence provider, Appfigures, estimated the Saturday day-over-day download increase even higher, at 88%. According to Similarweb, Claude’s U.S. downloads over the past week were around 20x what they were in January, though the firm cautioned this could be due to other reasons. By Monday, March 2, Claude had reached the No. 1 spot on the U.S. App Store, representing a jump of over 20 ranks compared to its position on February 22, 2026.

The shift in user sentiment is visible across both download trends and app store reviews. While Claude climbed the charts, ChatGPT’s growth slowed, and its user ratings fell.

Key metrics from the weekend include:

• ChatGPT download decline: U.S. downloads for ChatGPT dropped by 13% day-over-day on Saturday, February 28, and fell down by 5% on Sunday. This followed a Friday, February 27, growth rate where downloads had grown 14% day-over-day.
• Review backlash: One-star reviews for ChatGPT on the App Store surged 775% on Saturday, February 28, and grew 100% day-over-day on Sunday. Concurrently, five-star reviews declined, dropping by 50%.
• Claude’s international expansion: Beyond the U.S., Appfigures noted that Claude became the No. 1 free iPhone app in six other countries: Belgium, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, and Switzerland.

Why it matters

The backlash highlights the growing tension between consumer trust and defense-sector partnerships for AI companies, with users actively migrating to competitors who publicly distance themselves from military applications.