X’s Android App Installs Plummet 44%, Threatening Revenue and User Growth

X, formerly known as Twitter, is facing a severe revenue and user engagement crisis, driven by a catastrophic decline in new installations of its Android app. In July 2025, new installs on the Google Play Store plummeted by a staggering 44% year-over-year, signaling a deep-seated problem with the platform’s experience on the world’s most dominant mobile operating system.

While the company has touted a surprising 15% surge in iOS downloads during the same period, the growth on Apple’s platform was not nearly enough to offset the Android losses. Overall mobile downloads for X were still down 26% in July. This decline is having a direct and damaging impact on the company’s bottom line.

Subscription Revenue and User Engagement Suffer

The drop in new users, particularly on Android, is hitting X’s subscription revenue hard. In July, the platform generated $16.9 million from subscriptions, a marginal improvement from June’s low of $16.8 million but still a significant drop from the $18.8 million it pulled in March 2025. With Android commanding the majority of the global smartphone market, the platform’s neglect of this user base is proving to be a costly strategic error.

Beyond revenue, overall user engagement is also in decline. A recent report from Sensor Tower indicates a 10% drop in X’s daily active users in the second quarter of 2025. At the same time, its chief rival, Meta’s Threads, is experiencing explosive growth, with a 127.8% year-over-year increase in daily mobile users, reaching 115 million. X is only slightly ahead at 132 million daily users but is on a clear downward trajectory.

A Tale of Two Platforms

The disparity between the app’s performance on iOS and Android has become a major point of concern. X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, has publicly acknowledged the issue, announcing the formation of an “Android Dream Team” to rebuild the app from the ground up. However, this move is seen by many as long overdue, as Android users have complained for months about a buggy and unreliable experience.

Critics argue that the company is focusing on optics over substance by celebrating record-breaking iOS install weeks while its Android presence disintegrates. This approach is seen as tone-deaf, given that Android represents the backbone of global user growth, particularly in emerging markets across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Adding to the complexity, X’s premium AI chatbot, Grok, was recently launched as a standalone app. This decision could be further cannibalizing the subscription revenue that was previously funneled through the main X platform, fragmenting the company’s value proposition.

An Existential Crisis

The situation at X is a textbook example of platform decay, characterized not by a single catastrophic failure but by a series of small cuts: a neglected user base, declining engagement, falling revenue, and a growing, more stable competitor.

For many observers, rebuilding the Android app is not just an option—it’s an existential necessity. Without regaining the trust and loyalty of users on the world’s most widely used mobile OS, there appears to be no viable Plan B. The slipping Android install and subscription numbers are no longer just metrics; they are clear warning signals of a platform in crisis.