xAI's Grok app tops App Store charts in multiple countries amid digital undressing backlash

I spotted something interesting over the weekend. Elon Musk quoted a post from DogeDesigner showing that Grok just hit the number one spot on the App Store in four more countries: Spain, Maldives, Malta, and Slovenia. Musk wrote that Grok is “now hitting #1 on the App Store in one country after another,” calling it the only AI with up-to-the-second information.

The official Grok account even posted a short video showing it reached the number one spot for free apps in Japan, adding another major market to the list.

The timing is pretty remarkable. We were among the first to report on the recent backlash Grok has faced over its ability to digitally undress women in photos without their consent, which sparked major controversy across social media platforms.

That story blew up, and hundreds of outlets picked it up. Last week, I highlighted a potential solution involving a toggle feature, and earlier today, I covered how people can safeguard their posts since the “do not authorize” trend doesn’t actually work as many think.

Now here’s where it gets complicated. The surge in downloads is happening right as this controversy reaches peak attention. Does that mean people are rushing to download Grok specifically for its controversial image generation features? Not necessarily.

The app offers real-time information pulled directly from X, which gives it a genuine edge over competitors like ChatGPT or Claude that work with older data. That’s a legitimate selling point, especially when breaking news moves fast.

DogeDesigner’s post racked up over 6 million views and got flooded with reactions. Some users celebrated the momentum, with comments like “Grok is the smartest AI” and “World domination.” Others were more skeptical. One user replied, “seriously? just another app riding the hype train to the top.” A few raised concerns about safety, with one user asking Musk directly what measures are being taken to prevent exploitation through photo editing.

One comment stood out though. The popular meme account “Greg” replied to Musk’s post, saying “Bikini sales at all time highs too,” which pretty much sums up the elephant in the room. The correlation between the controversy and the download spike is impossible to ignore, even if plenty of users genuinely want the AI for its news capabilities.

What’s clear is that Grok is expanding rapidly across different markets. Whether this momentum continues or fizzles out once the controversy dies down remains to be seen. For now, the numbers speak for themselves.

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