ChatGPT Images 2.0 is a hit in India, but not a big winner elsewhere, yet

India has become the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0 since its launch last week, OpenAI said on Thursday. However, third-party data reviewed by TechCrunch points to a more measured global response, with limited overall growth alongside sharp spikes in select emerging markets.

ChatGPT Images 2.0, OpenAI’s latest image generation upgrade, is designed to handle more complex cues and produce detailed images, including accurate text in multiple languages. Early patterns from the company suggest that users – especially in India, its largest market – are using it to create personal images such as avatars, stylized portraits and fantasy-themed images.

Data shared by Sensor Tower and Similarweb with TechCrunch shows that the rollout has led to a more mixed global response. ChatGPT’s app downloads increased 11% week over week after launch, per Sensor Tower, but overall engagement gains were modest, with daily active users and sessions increasing by only about 1%. Similar web data also shows a limited increase in ChatGPT’s global web traffic, up about 1.6% week-on-week over the same period.

However, data from Sensor Tower shows that some emerging markets – including Pakistan, Vietnam and Indonesia – saw sharper spikes in ChatGPT app downloads, with increases of up to 79% week-on-week during the rollout period.

India, meanwhile, remained a major source of activity during the rollout. Sensor Tower estimates show that ChatGPT was downloaded about 5 million times in India during its launch week, compared to about 2 million times in the US, although growth remained modest week over week. Similar web data also points to limited growth in engagement, with the number of daily active users in India up around 3.4% week-on-week in the same period.

In India, early trends suggest that ChatGPT Images 2.0 is largely used as a form of self-expression. Instead of purely functional results, users create studio-style portraits from everyday photos, social media-ready images and imaginative images that focus on themselves, according to OpenAI.

The early patterns also show how AI imaging tools are being applied differently in different markets. While India’s large user base drives overall scale, sharper spikes in countries like Pakistan and Indonesia indicate stronger demand from new users in emerging markets post-launch.

The launch of OpenAI Images 2.0 comes amid increasing competition in AI image generation. Google’s earlier image-centric model, the original Nano Banana, also saw strong early popularity in India, showing how the country has become a major market for image generation.

With the new ChatGPT Images release, OpenAI continues with improvements such as better display of non-Latin text, including Hindi and Bengali, and new ‘thinking capabilities’ that allow it to refine its output and generate multiple variations from a single prompt.

In addition to stylized portraits and avatars, OpenAI says early Images 2.0 adopters in India are experimenting with a wider range of formats – from fantasy newspaper covers to tarot-like images and fashion mood boards. Users are also using the AI ​​tool to restore older photos and create cinematic portrait collages, the company said, indicating early patterns of more personal use.