OpenAI has officially rolled out an iOS app for its increasingly popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT. The announcement also confirmed the upcoming release of an Android version of the app. The ChatGPT app, which is free to use, synchronizes chat history with the web version and comes with voice input features, powered by OpenAI’s open-source speech recognition model, Whisper. The app is compatible with both iPhones and iPads.
The launch of the ChatGPT app was expected given the chatbot’s rapid user growth. Since its debut in November, ChatGPT has reportedly attracted over 100 million users by January, although OpenAI has not confirmed these statistics.
Despite launching as an experimental platform, ChatGPT quickly gained traction among a wide consumer base. Its uses span from academic support to business applications. OpenAI introduced a premium subscription service, ChatGPT Plus, in February. Priced at $20 per month, ChatGPT Plus subscribers enjoy priority access and responses generated using the latest language model, GPT-4.
Before the introduction of the official ChatGPT app, the most accessible way to utilize OpenAI’s language models on mobile was through Microsoft’s Bing app, which integrated a GPT-4-powered chatbot. The release of the official ChatGPT app could potentially draw users away from Microsoft, which had leveraged its chatbot access to attract users to Bing and Edge. Furthermore, the official app could reduce the risk of users falling for counterfeit apps purporting to provide mobile access to ChatGPT.
However, the launch of the ChatGPT mobile app does not come without its challenges. These include the chatbot’s propensity to convincingly generate misinformation, as well as lingering privacy concerns.
Although OpenAI recently gave users the option to privatize their conversations, the app’s home screen still advises users against sharing sensitive information through the platform.