How AI Photo App Remini Went Viral on TikTok and Dethroned Threads as the Top Downloaded App in the App Store

Last week, Meta’s Twitter clone, Threads, blew off the charts with over 100 million downloads in 1 week superseding the record placed by ChatGPT. This week, however, a new app called Remini has taken its place becoming the most downloaded app on the US App Store.

Remini Tops App Store Charts

Threads’ reign as the world’s fastest-growing app has been short-lived with the social media platform’s hype fading over the past few days. According to reports, the number of daily active users on Threads reduced to half compared to the number it saw during its launch week.

Within a week, Zuckerberg’s Twitter has reportedly dropped from 49 million to 23.6 million daily active users. This decline is attributable to the app’s underperformance compared to its rival, Twitter. Threads for instance lacks the ability to search for posts using keywords as well as an algorithmic feed.

On the other hand, Remini, an AI-powered photo app, has gone viral after trending on TikTok. The app uses its AI capabilities to transform casual photos into believable professional headshots that many users have used on their LinkedIn profiles.

In one of the TikTok videos that contributed to the app’s popularity by garnering 31.2 million views, a user offered Remini a photo of herself in her car. In return, the app generated several versions of the lady with well-done hair and makeup dressed in a blazer and looking professional.

The app has received a total of 1.4 billion #remini hashtags on TikTok which led to its exponential rise to being the number one free app on Apple App Store.

Aside from making photos more formal, the app also has the ability to enhance photos with low resolutions to higher quality. It can also restore old, damaged or faded photos making them clearer and more saturated.

https://twitter.com/Abotagoog/status/1681509553324670976?s=20

Another use that helped the app trend is its fun AI filters, particularly the baby filter. Users have been using the app to generate photos of baby versions of themselves, assuming them to be what their future babies would look like.

The app also has other filters including ones that show how one would look like a bride and how they would look when expectant.

https://twitter.com/LoveAlways_T/status/1681062034530611200

Remini’s Rising Revenue

Remini is not the first app to suddenly rise and top charts. However, it is one of the few whose rise has translated to a proportional rise in revenue. The app, which is owned by Bending Spoon Apps, derives its revenue from ads and in-app purchases for premium versions.

Before its popularity, the app reportedly made about $90,000 in revenue daily. However, due to its going viral, Remini generated close to $600,000 in revenue on Wednesday. Over the one-week period that the app has been viral, it has generated a staggering net of $2.3 million in revenue.

While going viral might be termed sheer luck, Remini has definitely maximized the opportunity. According to an Apple Search Ads Intelligence by Appfigures, Remini pays for close to 300 keywords, many of which are competitor names. Some of the keywords also describe specific use cases which makes Remini pop up first when users are looking for an AI app to enhance photos.

The Other Side of Fame

While the app has become a quick internet sensation, it has also triggered a bit of controversy with its abilities. Some users noted that the app transformed their bodies to become too skinny that they become unrecognizable in photos.

Some stated that the app made them lose over 80 pounds in photos leading to Remini being termed as fatphobic. “When you can’t use your AI headshots because it took off 80 pounds & everyone would notice,” one user wrote on her TikTok documenting her “AI Headshot fail.”

While this could hurt the app’s PR, the Milan-based Bending Spoons has certainly received feedback that could help better the app and tailor it to fit more user types.

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