Meta's new Muse assistant climbed to the top of the free-app charts less than two weeks after launch, giving the company an early sign that consumers may be willing to try an AI agent designed to act rather than simply answer questions.
Bloomberg reported, citing Sensor Tower analyst Abe Yousef, that Muse was downloaded more than 902,000 times in the six days after its September 8 debut. That was ahead of the roughly 773,000 downloads Sensor Tower counted for Meta's earlier Meta AI app over the same opening window. Axios reported that Muse was the No. 1 free iPhone app in the U.S. ten days after launch, ahead of ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. It later reached the top of Google's store as well.
An assistant built to take action
Meta describes Muse as a personal agent that can open a browser, fill out forms, send email, book travel and keep working after a user closes the app. It runs in a dedicated cloud virtual machine and can be used through a standalone app, the web or WhatsApp. Meta says Muse asks for approval before sensitive actions such as sending an email or making a purchase, and that users decide which services it can access.
The product is currently rolling out in the U.S. on iOS, Android and muse.ai. Meta says most use is free, with subscription plans for people who need higher limits. The company has also said Muse is coming to its AI glasses.
Early chart success does not establish how many people will keep using the service or pay for it. It does, however, put a large consumer audience in front of the practical tradeoff at the center of AI agents: the more useful they become, the more permission and personal context they need.
Amazon draws a boundary
That tradeoff is already producing friction. Axios reported that Amazon blocked Muse from browsing and buying products on its platform. Amazon said it had not authorized the agent to access customer accounts, scrape data or process transactions, and cited security and customer-experience concerns.
The dispute shows that an agent's capabilities depend not only on its model and interface, but also on whether outside services allow it to operate. Other retailers are taking a more cooperative approach, but control of the customer relationship, purchase data and checkout experience remains unsettled.
Meta shares closed more than 11% higher on September 21 as Muse rose through the charts, Axios reported. The stock move reflected investor enthusiasm, not proof that downloads will turn into durable usage or revenue. Retention, paid adoption and the number of services willing to work with Muse will be the more useful tests.
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