Google announced during its Q2 2026 earnings call that the Gemini AI assistant now has over 950 million monthly active users, placing it within striking distance of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. This figure represents a threefold increase from the previous year, following a milestone of 750 million users reached in February. The growth extends beyond the Android ecosystem, with the app recording over 137 million downloads on iOS in the last twelve months. Sensor Tower data for the first half of 2026 shows ChatGPT’s market share dropping below 50 per cent while Gemini rose to 27.7 per cent.
The shift matters because AI assistants are increasingly acting as substitutes for traditional search queries. Google reports that its Q&A-style AI mode has also crossed one billion users, driving incremental increases in search volume. The company states that hardware engineering has reduced the cost of delivering these AI features despite the introduction of new models. Sundar Pichai highlighted the adoption of agentic features like Daily Brief and Gemini Spark as key drivers of engagement.
- Gemini user count reached 950 million monthly active users.
- Market share for ChatGPT fell below 50 per cent in H1 2026.
- Google’s AI mode now powers over one billion users.
