Key Highlights –
- OpenAI’s new text-to-video app, Sora, became the top rated free app on the U.S. Apple App Store shortly after its invite-only launch.
- The app is powered by the Sora 2 model, capable of generating realistic, high-definition video with accurate physics and synchronized audio.
- Sora’s success pushes Google’s Gemini app, which had recently topped the charts due to its viral “Nano Banana” image feature, into the second-place spot.
OpenAI’s new text-to-video application, Sora, has surged to the top spot on the Apple App Store charts, quickly becoming the most downloaded free app in the U.S. consumer market. The launch success, achieved just days after its invite-only debut, signals intense consumer demand for generative video tools and forces a reshuffle in the competitive mobile AI landscape, where Google’s Gemini app had recently been dominant.
The Sora app utilizes the latest Sora 2 model, which focuses on generating high-definition video clips (up to 16 seconds long) from simple text prompts, or even images and existing video inputs. Sora 2 is noted for its enhanced realism, more accurate physics simulation, and the ability to synchronize dialogue and sound effects, capabilities that were largely absent in earlier video models. The app experience features a feed designed for creation and sharing, directly challenging platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
App Store Rankings Defy Claims of Anti-Competitive Bias
Sora’s rapid ascent to the number one free app spot directly displaces Google’s Gemini, which had recently celebrated its own victory after reaching the top ranking on the App Store, largely driven by the viral popularity of its “Nano Banana” (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) photo-editing feature. Gemini’s strong performance, followed immediately by Sora’s dominance, showcases an actively competitive and highly visible marketplace for major AI applications on Apple’s platform.
This volatility in rankings contradicts a key element of the ongoing antitrust lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI. xAI had alleged that Apple’s partnership to integrate ChatGPT into its operating systems constituted an illegal conspiracy designed to suppress rival platforms, including xAI’s Grok.
The Legal Counter-Narrative
The success of both Gemini and Sora as standalone apps on the platform provides substantial counter-narrative to the idea that Apple is creating an exclusive environment for OpenAI. The vigorous competition in the App Store’s top charts suggests consumers are freely choosing between major AI competitors based on feature and utility.
The legal battle remains heated, however. While Apple and OpenAI moved earlier this week to dismiss the xAI suit—which also included trade-secret claims—OpenAI has publicly escalated its defense. In a recent filing, OpenAI’s attorneys described Musk’s legal actions against the company as part of his “ongoing harassment,” arguing that the lawsuits are part of a bad-faith tactic to distract from xAI’s own competitive challenges and slow OpenAI’s development.
The continued success of rival AI firms on the App Store reinforces Apple’s defense that the market remains open and competitive, regardless of its deeper system-level integration of certain models within the upcoming Apple Intelligence suite.
