June 2025 App Updates: The Biggest Changes for Top Apps

June 2025 was a month of significant evolution in the mobile app landscape, with major players rolling out new features focused on AI, user security, and content creation, while some faced pivotal changes to their user terms and market standing. Based on the latest rankings and news, here are the major updates from the world's most downloaded apps last month.

Social & Communication Leaders Launch New Tools

WhatsApp: The world's most popular messaging app continued its push for a more personalized and secure user experience. June saw the wider rollout and discussion of its revamped 2025 interface, which includes a "Focus Mode" to filter chats (e.g., work or family), AI-powered Smart Replies, and real-time message translation. For enhanced privacy, Biometric Chat Lock was introduced, allowing users to hide specific conversations behind a fingerprint or Face ID.

TikTok: The video-sharing giant bolstered its creative toolkit for brands and users. In June, TikTok expanded its Symphony AI suite with powerful new tools, including Image-to-Video and Text-to-Video generators. To give users more control over their feeds, the platform introduced a "Manage Topics" function and smart keyword filtering to customize content recommendations.

Facebook: Meta's flagship platform introduced key security and content updates. A major change announced in June is that all videos uploaded to Facebook will now be presented as Reels, unifying its video format. For security, Facebook began rolling out Passkeys, allowing users to log in with their device's fingerprint, face, or PIN instead of a password. The platform also began actively prompting users to place external links in the comments rather than the post caption, claiming it improves reach.

Instagram: The photo and video sharing app focused heavily on its "Edits" video editor and new performance metrics. June saw the release of a teleprompter feature within Edits, along with "Restyle," an AI tool that applies preset visual styles to videos. Creators were also given new insight tools called "Recaps" (personalized performance summaries) and "Celebrations" (milestone markers). Looking ahead, it was announced that Instagram posts may begin appearing in Google Search results starting in July.

Messenger: While no major standalone features were announced for Messenger in June, it benefits from the broader Meta ecosystem updates, including the rollout of Passkeys for more secure account access. The overarching theme for Meta's messaging services remains deeper integration and cross-platform functionality.

Snapchat: In a significant move to boost its subscription revenue, Snapchat launched a new, higher-priced tier called "Lens+" in June. For $8.99 per month, this subscription gives users access to hundreds of exclusive Lenses and advanced AR experiences, including some created by select AR developers. This signals a strong focus on monetizing its popular augmented reality features.

Telegram: The security-focused messenger added several new features in an update on June 3rd. Users can now send direct messages to Channels, better organize chats with "Topic Tabs," and trim voice messages before sending. The update also included the ability to send photos in higher quality.

Content Creation & E-Commerce See Pivotal Shifts

CapCut: The hugely popular video editor, owned by TikTok's parent company ByteDance, faced significant user backlash in June after a major update to its Terms of Service on June 12th. The new terms grant CapCut a broad, perpetual, royalty-free license to use, modify, monetize, and create derivative works from all user content—including private drafts—without compensation or credit. This pivotal policy change has prompted many creators to reconsider their use of the platform.

Temu & Shein: The fast-fashion giants faced headwinds in June. A report released at the end of the month revealed a significant drop in U.S. monthly active users for both platforms between March and June. The decline is attributed to the imposition of higher tariffs on Chinese imports and a corresponding decrease in their massive advertising spends. In early July, Temu rolled out a new Tracking Widget for its app, allowing users to more easily monitor order updates.

Other Notable App Updates

• Threads by Instagram: Meta's text-based app had a busy June, finally beginning the global rollout of its most-requested feature: Direct Messages (DMs). The platform also introduced a new "spoiler alert" tag that allows users to hide text, preventing spoilers for TV shows and movies.

• Spotify: The music streaming leader introduced a new social integration, allowing users to share what they're listening to directly in their Instagram Notes, further connecting music discovery with social sharing.

• YouTube: No major user-facing feature updates were announced for the main YouTube app in June, with development likely focused on incremental improvements and server-side changes to its recommendation algorithms and user interface.