DeepSeek’s chatbot experienced a significant decline in downloads and active users in the second quarter of 2025, according to a report by market research firm QuestMobile.

The chatbot recorded an average of 22.6 million downloads per month, a 72% decrease from the previous quarter when its V3 and R1 AI models gained considerable attention.

Monthly active users (MAUs) also fell by 9% to 170 million.

ByteDance’s Doubao overtook DeepSeek in downloads, rising 9.5% quarter-on-quarter to 29.8 million monthly with a 30% increase in active users.

Overall interest in general-purpose chatbots declined, while demand rose for task-specific AI tools in office work and education.

DeepSeek faced additional challenges during the quarter, notably the delayed release of its R2 AI model.

This delay was due to US export restrictions on Nvidia chips necessary for its development, with the launch initially expected in May 2025.

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