X App Downloads Plummet Following Elon Musk’s Name Change Announcement

Rebranding exercises can be complex. While changing the name and logo is relatively simple, getting consumers accustomed to the new brand identity is the challenging part. A recent example of this is Google’s attempt to merge Google Duo with Meet, combining them into one app. Google kept both apps available for months, gradually informing users about the transition before finally merging them. In contrast, X (previously known as Twitter) completed its rebranding process in just three days. However, a report suggests that this swift rebranding may have negatively impacted the app’s download numbers.

Analyst Eric Seufert posted various charts on his X account, highlighting Twitter’s impact on app downloads after changing its name and logo. The chart took the daily downloads of the most popular social media apps to check Twitter’s performance compared to other similar apps. He also said: “Twitter’s Top Downloaded chart position has dropped dramatically on both platforms since the app was rebranded as X”.

Twitter Witnesses app downloads drop after name change

The data is shocking. In both the App Store on iOS and the Play Store on Android, Twitter posted impressive numbers until July 31st, the last day the Twitter name and logo were seen in app marketplaces. But a significant drop was observed starting August 1, when the platform officially moved to X.

There are reasons for that too. The company took no time or effort, other than in-app messages, to tell people that Twitter is now X. A search for Twitter shows the absence of X, logos and name similarity, and no mention of the word. “Twitter” on the app page makes it really hard for a user who hasn’t been up to date with the entire branding changes to even know that these are the same platforms.

“My hypothesis is that while decided online users are fully aware of Twitter’s rebranding as X, most consumers are not, and their search terms for ‘Twitter’ on the platform will result in ads and genuine search results that are in no way reminiscent of Twitter. This is unrecognizable, Seufert added.