Elon Musk’s artificial-intelligence company xAI has removed the paywall on its flagship Grok 4 chatbot and its multimedia companion tool, Grok Imagine, making both services free to users worldwide as of 10 August. The company simultaneously released app version 1.1.43, promising smoother performance and enhanced image- and video-generation capabilities. The decision triggered a surge in downloads. Apple App Store data show the Grok iOS application jumping to the top of the Productivity category in Hong Kong and Ukraine and securing the No. 2 spot in 17 other markets, including the United States, Australia and Canada. Overall, the app now ranks among the three most-downloaded productivity offerings in more than 40 countries. Musk said the software is “pretty accurate” and highlighted its ability to turn old photographs into animated videos. xAI plans further refinements, with the entrepreneur noting that the model “needs to be more based and will be,” underscoring the company’s intent to keep accelerating feature updates in the intensifying consumer AI race.