The recent rebranding of Twitter to "X" has generated considerable debate and mixed results, as highlighted by new data from app intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
Sensor Tower's analysis reveals a 4% drop in weekly active users post-rebrand (August 6-20), along with a fall of four spots to No. 36 in the Overall category rankings.
Despite the dip in user activity, revenue between August 6 and August 20 surged by about 25%, mostly driven by iOS users.
Interestingly, Twitter Lite, aimed at emerging markets, experienced a 350% jump in downloads during the first week of rebranding (July 23-August 5). This suggests that the Twitter brand still resonates with users who were confused by the name change.
Threads experienced a 70% decline in downloads initially, but later recovered. Meanwhile, Bluesky and Mastodon saw a spike in downloads, indicating that they were the initial beneficiaries of Twitter’s rebrand.
As of August 20, app installs for "X" had declined by 8% across both iOS and Android. Meanwhile, Twitter Lite downloads continued to grow by 50%.
The "X-odus," as some are calling the shift from Twitter to other platforms, hasn't yet settled. While revenue for X surprisingly grew, its decrease in active users and rankings suggests that the rebranding has led to consumer confusion. Twitter Lite's growth underscores the enduring power of the original brand name.
The rebranding of Twitter to "X" serves as a fascinating case study in the unpredictable outcomes of such a massive branding change in the tech world.
