**Elon Musk’s X Faces Challenges on App Store as Bluesky and Threads Rise in Popularity**
Elon Musk may have achieved a political success after the recent election, but his social media platform X (previously known as Twitter) is experiencing difficulties on the mobile app charts. In the week following the election, X’s rivals, Bluesky and Threads, have witnessed a notable increase in popularity on Apple’s App Store.
**Bluesky Rises to the Top**
Bluesky has positioned itself as the clear front-runner, with many users leaving Musk’s X. A substantial number of these users have pointed to Musk’s open backing of Donald Trump and his use of X as a campaign instrument as reasons for their exit. Consequently, Bluesky has ascended to the top spot on the U.S. App Store’s free app rankings. The platform has also exceeded 15 million users, with around 100,000 new registrations daily since the election.
**Threads Close Behind**
Threads, a social media service owned by Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta and linked with Instagram, presently holds second place on the App Store. Meanwhile, Musk’s X trails significantly in 27th place, suggesting that a notable segment of X’s user base is exploring other options.
**App Store Rankings and Musk’s Interest**
While Musk may not be excessively worried about these rankings given his recent political leverage, he has displayed a specific interest in App Store performance. Musk has often boasted about X reaching the top position in the News category on both U.S. and international App Store listings since the election. However, it’s important to recognize that X faces limited rivalry in the News category, which is mainly populated by conventional media entities like *The New York Times* and Fox News.
Most social media applications, including Bluesky and Threads, are classified under the more competitive Social Networking section of the App Store. Achieving a first-place rank in this category typically equates to a top overall position in the App Store, as Bluesky currently exemplifies. For example, Meta’s WhatsApp ranks third in the Social Networking category and eighth overall on the App Store.
In comparison, X’s first-place ranking in the News category only equates to 27th overall, underscoring the platform’s challenges in competing with its peers in the wider social media arena.