Explosive Growth Backed by Deep Product Integration
Google’s Gemini AI chatbot has recorded a remarkable surge in global usage, surpassing 350 million users by March 2025, according to revelations made during the ongoing antitrust trial against the tech giant. The daily active users of Gemini reportedly grew from just nine users in October 2024 to over 35 million daily users within five months—a clear sign of the app’s accelerated adoption.
This rise is largely attributed to Google’s strategic push to embed Gemini across its ecosystem. The company has integrated Gemini into Samsung smartphones, Google Workspace tools like Gmail and Docs, and the Chrome browser, giving users multiple points of interaction. In addition to these rollouts, the release of Gemini 2.0 and Gemini 2.5—successor models promising faster and more context-aware responses—helped strengthen its appeal.
Despite its rapid growth, Gemini still lags behind major competitors. OpenAI’s ChatGPT remains the most used AI chatbot globally, reporting around 600 million monthly active users (MAUs). Meta AI follows with approximately 500 million MAUs. While Gemini has gained momentum, it still has ground to cover in terms of global dominance.
Trial Reveals Deals Behind Gemini’s Distribution
The U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Google, now in its final hearings, is shedding light on the company’s efforts to expand Gemini’s footprint. The trial is not only evaluating Google’s monopoly status in search but also reviewing potential remedies to address unfair market practices.
One revelation involves a two-year agreement between Google and Samsung, in which Google pays to have Gemini pre-installed on Samsung’s devices. As per Bloomberg, this deal includes fixed monthly payments and a share of ad revenue generated through the chatbot. According to internal slides presented in court, Google was also exploring stricter distribution models, potentially mandating the installation of Gemini alongside other Google services like Search and Chrome.
With the legal outcome still pending, Gemini’s rise could either bolster Google’s AI ambitions or trigger further regulatory controls.