OpenAI's Sora Android App Achieves Record-Breaking 470,000 Downloads on Launch Day

Android Users Downloaded OpenAI's Sora AI App Nearly Half a Million Times in One Day

Macy has been working for CNET for coming on 2 years. Prior to CNET, Macy received a North Carolina College Media Association award in sports writing. It's only been two days since OpenAI dropped the Android-compatible version of its Sora app, but the AI social media app's popularity seems to know no bounds. A new report from Appfigures found that the Android app was downloaded 470,000 times on the first day it was available. That's four times as many downloads as compared to Sora's initial iOS app launch in September, according to TechCrunch, which originally reported the news. Keep in mind that the iOS app was downloaded over a million times in under five days. It was also restricted to North America and required an invite code. Since Sora has dropped its invite code requirement and opened up the app to more countries, it makes sense that Android downloads would be higher than the iOS ones. But it's still an eye-popping statistic, even for an app that has quickly become one of the most powerful and controversial AI developments so far. The Android app is just one of many updates OpenAI has dropped in recent weeks. In a new post, OpenAI's head of Sora, Bill Peebles, outlined what's coming soon for the AI-video app, including new creation tools, improved social features and much-anticipated Android support. OpenAI also said it would be working with unions like SAG-AFTRA and other celebrities and public figures to help manage the creation of potentially inappropriate or illegal videos, including deepfakes. You can download Sora now on the Google Play Store and start scrolling right away. Here's everything that's inside the Sora app. For more, check out our guide for how to spot AI-generated videos. Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source. Sora recently gained new creation tools in the form of character cameos, which are now expanding beyond people. Cameo is Sora's primary feature that allows you to use other people's likenesses to create nearly any kind of AI video. Soon, you'll be able to cameo your dog, guinea pig, favorite stuffed toy or generated characters from existing Sora videos. Several Halloween-themed characters have been added recently. The app's generation interface will also highlight trending cameos in real-time, likely building on popular existing social media features, such as the For You page or Explore page on Instagram. OpenAI is also introducing basic video editing tools, beginning with the ability to stitch clips together directly within the app. Peebles says more advanced editing features are on the way, hinting at a broader creative suite that aims to move Sora beyond short, one-off generations to an app that can be used by professional creators. On the social side, the team is experimenting with new ways to utilize Sora with friends and communities, rather than just a global feed. That could mean channels for your university, workplace, hobbies or sports teams, bringing a more localized vibe to what has so far been a mostly chaotic public stream of AI videos. These changes follow the first major Sora update earlier this month, which introduced longer video limits and a storyboarding feature. The company announced that free Sora users can make videos up to 15 seconds long on the iPhone app and the web (which is the only way Android users can use Sora at the moment). Pro users also receive an additional 10 seconds when creating on the web, for a total of 35 seconds. The announcement came one day after Google upgraded its popular AI video model, Veo 3, to handle longer video generations. As OpenAI added new features and opened up its app to anyone (no invite code needed), it also introduced payment plans. Previously, free users could generate up to 30 videos per day, while Pro users had a limit of 100 videos per day. Now, if anyone hits their generation limit, they can pay $4 for an additional 10 video generations. Since your Sora account is linked to your ChatGPT account, if you pay for ChatGPT Pro, you're a paying Sora user. For more information, see all the payment plans. Storyboarding, available only to Pro users on the web, lets creators plan out videos on the web before generating them. Storyboarding has long been a part of the professional filmmaking process and is occasionally included in more professional software programs. Google's AI filmmaking program Flow, for example, allows for storyboarding. But this is an interesting and somewhat unexpected addition to Sora. Sora has only been around a short time, but the vibe on the app is focused on shorter, funny videos, echoing OpenAI's claim that the app is designed to help people connect with their friends. Professional-grade videos that are longer and better planned aren't very common, but these upcoming updates will likely change that. This could be a sign that OpenAI is attempting to attract the professional creators it has previously alienated. Professional creators would need storyboarding, video editing, longer run times, and higher resolutions, and OpenAI seems to be addressing these needs quickly. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

OpenAI's Sora hits 470,000 Android installs on day one

Appfigures data shows 296,000 of Sora's Android installs came from U.S. users. OpenAI's AI video application, Sora, recorded 470,000 installations on its inaugural day on the Google Play Store, according to Appfigures. This Android launch signifies more than four times the installations of its initial iOS launch. The iOS launch initially recorded 360,000 downloads. However, this comparison is not direct due to differing availability and access requirements. The iOS version of Sora was exclusively available in the U.S. and Canada and required an invitation for access. Conversely, the Android application is accessible in the U.S., Canada, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. OpenAI also removed the invitation requirement for its primary markets in late October. On October 29, 2025, OpenAI stated via X, "You can now get into the Sora app without an invite code in the US, Canada, Japan, and Korea. Limited time only." Following its debut, the iOS app achieved over a million installations within its first week and rapidly ascended to the top of the App Store rankings. It currently holds the No. 4 position on the U.S. App Store's iPhone Top Free Charts. Sora enables users to create videos using AI from various prompts. This includes a "Cameos" feature that animates users and their acquaintances. Videos are presented in a vertical, scrollable feed, similar to TikTok, allowing users to view content generated by others. Appfigures has updated its initial estimates for the first-day iOS downloads of Sora. The original model estimated approximately 56,000 day-one downloads. Revised data now indicates this figure was closer to 110,000, with approximately 69,300 installations originating from the U.S. In contrast, the Sora Android app garnered approximately 296,000 U.S.-based installations out of its total 470,000. This data suggests sustained interest in the AI video creation tool, even after the initial impact of the iOS release. Sora operates in competition with Meta AI, which launched its mobile application for European users, following its prior introduction in the U.S.