OpenAI has made an exciting announcement through a tweet, revealing that its official ChatGPT mobile app is now available in additional countries. Initially, when the app was introduced last week, it was limited to iOS users within the United States. However, OpenAI has expanded its availability to several regions in Europe, South Korea, New Zealand, and more. Interested users can now download the app from the App Store.
The ChatGPT mobile app is completely free and devoid of any advertisements. Users who are already familiar with ChatGPT will find the app to be a seamless way to interact with the chatbot, offering a simple and straightforward user experience.
The countries where the ChatGPT app is now accessible include Albania, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Currently, the app is exclusively available on iOS, with OpenAI assuring that an Android version will be released soon.
Upon opening the app, users can type their text in a text box at the bottom of the screen, much like sending a message in any messaging app. While text input is possible, users can also utilize OpenAI’s open-source speech recognition system called Whisper for voice input, in addition to Apple’s built-in speech recognition feature.
After sending a message, OpenAI processes the request and provides an AI-generated response. Users can continue the conversation, ask for further information, or request a different answer. The app supports code blocks, and users have the option to copy and paste the answers.
By default, ChatGPT saves users’ chat history for model training purposes. When enabled, conversations can also be accessed on desktop. However, it’s important to note that disabling data sharing also disables chat history.
For ChatGPT Plus subscribers, the mobile app grants access to the capabilities of GPT-4, and users can expect faster response times. ChatGPT Plus is available for $20 per month on desktop and can be purchased within the app using the local currency (€22.99 per month in Europe, £19.99 in the UK, etc.).
Interestingly, this expansion comes at a noteworthy time, coinciding with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s meetings with European heads of state, including Emmanuel Macron of France, Pedro Sánchez of Spain, and Rishi Sunak of the UK. Altman has been critical of hastily implemented AI regulatory policies, and now, individuals in Europe will have greater accessibility to ChatGPT, simply by downloading the app.