Ant’s AQ health app tops 100 million users amid holiday surge

Ant Group's artificial intelligence health application, AQ, surpassed 100 million users during the recent Lunar New Year holiday. The company reported this milestone amidst increasing demand for AI-driven health monitoring tools across China.

Credit: Ant Group

The application subsequently topped China's Apple App Store overall download rankings. This leading position was maintained for several consecutive days throughout the holiday period.

Ant Group stated that the surge in user numbers was partly due to younger, tech-savvy consumers. These individuals, upon returning home for Lunar New Year gatherings, introduced the app to their families, aiming to assist with the well-being monitoring of elderly parents and grandparents.

And AQ also gained further visibility through a marketing campaign. This campaign was linked to the annual Spring Festival Gala, one of the world's most-watched television broadcasts, where the app featured in a comedy skit.

The adoption of the app broadened significantly beyond China's largest cities. Data from the company indicated that third-tier cities and smaller urban centres accounted for 52 per cent of new users during the holiday period.

AQ's most popular functions include health consultations powered by artificial intelligence. The app additionally offers analysis for skin conditions and provides virtual medical advice to its users.

Furthermore, personalised wellness tracking and digital health records are core components of the app's offerings. These features contribute to its comprehensive approach to personal health management.

With a user base exceeding 100 million, AQ now claims the title of the world's largest AI-native health application by user count. Ant Group made this assertion.

The rise of AI health apps in China coincides with the nation's rapidly ageing demographic. Official data showed that citizens aged 65 and above constituted 15.6 per cent of the population in 2024, an increase from 13.5 per cent in 2020.

Projections from the National Health Commission suggest that the proportion of people aged 60 and older will exceed 30 per cent by 2035. This demographic shift would encompass more than 400 million individuals.

But this demographic transition, coupled with a record low birth rate and a shrinking pool of caregivers, creates a substantial market for technology-enabled healthcare services. Artificial intelligence is expected to play a central role in these developments.

Major Chinese technology organisations are expanding their own AI healthcare offerings in this environment. Tencent Healthcare reported that its AI-powered mini-programme had cumulatively served nearly 900 million WeChat users by the end of 2025.

Baidu launched Wenxin Health Steward last Dec. The service functions as an AI family doctor.

JD Health stated that its AI Jingyi platform now incorporates more than 1,500 specialised physician AI agents. So Big Tech companies are actively developing similar solutions within the sector.

Huawei Cloud introduced its Smart Healthcare Zone in Feb. This new zone enables grassroots doctors to conduct AI-assisted pathological analysis using standard local workstations.

• Ant Group's AQ health app surpassed 100 million users during Lunar New Year.

• The app topped China's Apple App Store download rankings for several days.

• User growth was partly attributed to younger users sharing the app with elderly relatives.

• China's ageing population is driving demand for AI-powered health services.

• Other major Chinese tech firms are also expanding their AI healthcare offerings.