OpenAI has unveiled its official iOS app for ChatGPT, marking its entry into the mobile market. The release comes after the App Store became inundated with unofficial and questionable AI chatbot services. The ChatGPT app, which is free and ad-free, allows users to engage with the AI chatbot, ask questions, seek advice, gain inspiration, conduct research, and more. Initially, the app will only be available to users in the United States.
With Apple’s voice assistant, Siri, facing criticisms and Apple’s limited progress in the AI field, the launch of the ChatGPT app could entice users to adopt it as their primary mobile assistant. Additionally, this move may impact Google, which currently benefits from being the default search engine on Safari for iPhone users.
The mobile version of ChatGPT offers cross-device syncing, allowing users to access their search history across devices. The app also incorporates Whisper, OpenAI’s open-source speech recognition system, enabling voice input.
ChatGPT Plus subscribers will have access to GPT-4’s capabilities through the new app. They will also receive early access to new features and faster response times, as offered in the subscription plan launched in February at $20 per month.
The rollout of the ChatGPT app will commence in the United States, with plans to expand to other countries in the upcoming weeks. OpenAI has also teased the development of an Android version in the near future.
OpenAI’s decision to launch the mobile app aligns with the ongoing experimentation and integration of AI capabilities by major tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook. By providing direct access to ChatGPT outside of search engines and browsers, the app has the potential to redefine how users search for information and connect on their smartphones.
One notable feature that sets OpenAI’s app apart from search apps’ AI integrations is its ad-free nature. OpenAI emphasizes this advantage in its blog post, highlighting the ability to obtain instant answers “without sifting through ads or multiple results.” This subtle jab at its partner, Bing, draws attention to Bing Chat’s inclusion of ads.
The release of the ChatGPT app coincides with Google’s recent launch of its own AI chatbot, Bard, which was made available in English during the Google I/O developer conference.
There appears to be a growing demand for ChatGPT and AI on iPhones. Data from app store intelligence provider data.ai reveals that the top 10 mobile AI apps generated over $14 million in consumer spending by late March, with average daily spending increasing by 11% since February.
