Overview

What is ChatGPT Voice?

ChatGPT Voice lets you speak with ChatGPT and hear a spoken response. Voice works within a chat, so you can listen while following the response in text, type when you cannot speak, and review earlier messages without starting over.

If you want to turn a single recording into editable text instead, use ChatGPT Dictation.

The Live option can listen and speak at the same time, making turn-taking and interruptions feel more natural. Live can also use web search and memory, show visual results through supported widgets, and work with text and images when those features are available for your account.

ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important information, especially for date-sensitive, time-sensitive, or location-sensitive questions. Voice uses your device or browser time zone to understand terms such as “today” or “tomorrow.” If an answer seems off, check your time zone or include the exact date, time zone, or location in your question. Learn more about ChatGPT and accuracy.

What Voice options are available?

You may see the following options under Settings → Voice:

• Live: Our latest Voice experience, powered by GPT-Live-1 on paid plans and GPT-Live-1 mini on Free. Live is designed for natural back-and-forth conversation and can use web search and memory, show visual results through supported widgets, and work with text and images in the same chat. Live does not initially support video, screen sharing, connected apps, or plugins.

• Advanced: The previous real-time Voice experience. Use Advanced when you need supported mobile capabilities such as video or screen sharing.

• Standard: A turn-by-turn Voice experience that transcribes your speech before generating a response.

The options available to you may depend on your plan, region, and app version.

To switch between available options, open Settings → Voice and select Live, Advanced, or Standard.

Availability and limits

ChatGPT Voice is available to logged-in users in the ChatGPT iOS and Android apps and on desktop web at ChatGPT.com. Signed-out users can use Dictation on web, but cannot start a Voice conversation.

Live is rolling out across consumer plans, including Free. Availability may vary by region during rollout. Live is not available in ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, or Edu workspaces at launch; users in those workspaces can continue using the Voice options already available to them.

Live is launching in ChatGPT on web and mobile. It is not initially available in Temporary Chats, the ChatGPT desktop app, Work, Codex, or custom GPTs.

Voice usage limits vary by plan and Voice option and may change. ChatGPT will show a notice when you approach or reach a limit.

The model used by Live depends on your plan: paid plans use GPT-Live-1, while Free uses GPT-Live-1 mini.

Start a Voice conversation

On iOS and Android

• Select the Voice icon in the message bar.

• If prompted, allow the ChatGPT app to access your microphone.

• If this is your first Voice conversation, choose a preferred voice.

• After Voice opens, begin speaking to start the conversation.

During the conversation, select the microphone control to mute or unmute yourself. Select the exit control to end the Voice conversation.

On web

• Go to ChatGPT.com.

• Select the Voice icon in the prompt window.

• If prompted, allow your browser to access your microphone.

• After Voice opens, begin speaking to start the conversation.

During the conversation, select the microphone control to mute or unmute yourself. Select the exit control to end the Voice conversation.

Use text and images with Live

Live can accept text and images in the same chat as your Voice conversation. While Voice is active, use the add button in the message bar to attach an available image, or type a message instead of speaking. ChatGPT can respond in Voice without starting a separate chat.

Available image types and limits depend on your plan and account.

Live cannot currently find or add files from your ChatGPT Library. You may still be able to attach a supported file to the chat manually, depending on your account.

Share video or your screen

Live does not support video or screen sharing at launch.

Video and screen sharing remain available to eligible subscribers in the ChatGPT iOS and Android apps when using Advanced:

• To share live video, select the camera button during a Voice conversation. Select it again to stop sharing.

• To share your screen, select the more-options menu, then select Share Screen and follow your device’s prompts.

• To stop sharing your screen, return to ChatGPT and select the screen-sharing control again. You can also stop sharing from your device’s system screen-sharing controls.

If you reach a video or screen-sharing limit, you may still be able to continue the Voice conversation without starting a new video or screen-sharing input.

Change your preferred voice

Open Settings → Voice, then select Voice to choose from these options:

• Arbor — Easygoing and versatile

• Breeze — Animated and earnest

• Cove — Composed and direct

• Ember — Confident and optimistic

• Juniper — Open and upbeat

• Maple — Cheerful and candid

• Sol — Savvy and relaxed

• Spruce — Calm and affirming

• Vale — Bright and inquisitive

Changing the selected voice during a Voice conversation starts a new voice call in the same chat.

Change your preferred language

Open Settings → Voice, then select Language. Choosing the language you speak most often can help ChatGPT understand your speech more accurately. You can also ask ChatGPT during a Voice conversation to speak a different language.

Change the response style

Preset ChatGPT personalities do not currently apply to Live.

You can still ask ChatGPT to change its tone, pace, or response style during an individual Voice conversation.

You can ask ChatGPT to speak faster or slower, but precise playback-speed controls are not currently available.

Change the intelligence level

If the Intelligence setting is available for your account, open Settings → Voice → Intelligence and choose Instant, Medium, or High. This setting controls how ChatGPT handles more difficult questions during a Voice conversation. Available levels may depend on your plan.

Higher intelligence levels may take longer to respond, especially when Voice searches the web.

Use Voice in CarPlay

ChatGPT is available in Apple CarPlay on supported iPhones. You can start a Voice conversation, continue a recent or pinned chat, or start a conversation in a project from your CarPlay screen. Learn more about using ChatGPT in CarPlay.

Only use your mobile device when allowed by law and when conditions permit safe use. Set up the app before driving and avoid interacting with your device while the vehicle is in motion.

Keep a conversation going in the background

To continue a Voice conversation while using other apps or while your phone is locked, turn on Background conversations under Settings → Voice.

A background conversation ends when you end it, force close the app, reach a usage limit, or reach the maximum session length. If you are sharing your screen in Advanced, screen sharing also ends when you stop sharing or lock your screen.

Start ChatGPT with Voice

On supported mobile app versions, turn on Start with Voice under Settings → Voice. When this setting is on, opening ChatGPT to a new or empty conversation starts Voice automatically.

To start Voice automatically in CarPlay, turn on Start automatically in CarPlay under Settings → Voice. This setting appears after you have used ChatGPT in CarPlay.

Data controls

How long does OpenAI retain audio and video clips?

Audio clips from Live and Advanced Voice conversations, and video clips from Advanced Voice conversations, are stored with the transcript that appears in your chat history. Clips are retained for 30 days.

When you delete a chat, we also delete its associated audio and video clips within 30 days, unless we need to keep them for security, safety, or legal reasons as described in our Privacy Policy, or unless you previously chose to share the clips to help train our models and they were already disassociated from your account.

Deleting a chat, including associated audio or video data, cannot be undone. Archiving only removes the chat from your sidebar; it does not delete the chat or its associated audio or video clips.

With Standard, audio is transcribed before ChatGPT generates a response. We delete the audio after transcription is complete, unless you have chosen to share audio to help train our models. Audio is deleted even if transcription fails.

Does OpenAI train models on audio or video clips?

Not unless you choose to share audio or video clips to help train our models, or you enabled the “Include your audio recordings” or “Include your video recordings” toggles in your OpenAI account settings. You can learn more about your data controls here.

If Improve the model for everyone is turned on, we may use transcripts and other files from your Voice conversations to train our models, depending on your plan and settings. We do not use the associated audio or video clips for training unless you choose to share them for model improvement as described above.

Free, Plus, and Pro users in personal workspaces can choose to share clips by opening Settings → Data Controls, turning on Improve the model for everyone, and then turning on Include your audio recordings or Include your video recordings. Users cannot share audio or video clips from Voice conversations in ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, or Edu workspaces.

If you choose to share audio or video clips, our teams may review shared clips to help improve model behavior, such as understanding where ChatGPT misheard or misinterpreted something. Before using shared clips for training, we take steps to reduce the amount of personal information in the clip.

If you stop sharing, new clips will no longer be used to train our models. Clips that were previously disassociated from your account may continue to be used. Your choice is tied to your account and applies to every device where you are logged in.

Learn more about Data Controls and how your data is used to improve model performance.

Frequently asked questions

Can I speak while ChatGPT is talking?

Yes. Live can listen and speak at the same time, so you can interrupt or continue speaking while ChatGPT is responding. ChatGPT should follow the latest part of the conversation, but overlapping speech, background noise, network conditions, and microphone settings can affect what it hears.

Can several people speak to ChatGPT at once?

Live is designed primarily for one-on-one conversation. It can handle background noise, but it is not yet optimized for conversations with multiple speakers. It may respond when people are speaking to one another instead of to ChatGPT.

Why does ChatGPT interrupt me or stop speaking?

Interruptions can still happen, especially with background noise, long pauses, or audio from another speaker. Try using headphones, moving to a quieter environment, or increasing your device volume. On iPhone, you can also open Control Center during a Voice conversation, select Mic Mode, and turn on Voice Isolation.

Can I ask Voice to wait while I think out loud?

At the start of the conversation, you can ask Live to wait until you are ready for a response—for example, “Wait until I ask you to respond.” Long pauses, background speech, or other sounds may still cause Live to respond.

Can I use Live with GPTs, Work, or Codex?

Live is not initially available with custom GPTs, Work, or Codex.

Voice conversations remain available with GPTs through Advanced Voice Mode. GPTs use the Shimmer voice. File and photo uploads may be available depending on your account and session. Image generation, data analysis, and custom actions are not available in Voice conversations with GPTs.

When should I use Voice instead of Dictation?

Use Voice for a live, back-and-forth conversation or to talk through ideas. Use ChatGPT Dictation when you want to record a prompt, review and edit its transcription, and then send it as text. Voice transcripts are not verbatim records and may not exactly match what was said.

Why does the transcript not exactly match the conversation?

A transcript is added to the chat after a Voice conversation. It may not exactly match what you or ChatGPT said, especially when speech overlaps, there is background noise, or the conversation moves quickly.

With Live, ChatGPT’s responses also appear as text in the chat while they are spoken. After you end the Voice conversation, you can review the conversation in your chat history.

Do Voice conversations include captions?

With Live, ChatGPT’s responses appear as text in the chat while they are spoken. On iOS and Android with Advanced, select the cc button during a Voice conversation to show captions for ChatGPT’s responses.

After you end a Voice conversation, its transcript is added to the chat so you can review it in your chat history.

Why did my Voice conversation end?

A Voice conversation may end when you reach a usage limit, the maximum session length, or when a long conversation reaches its context limit. ChatGPT will show a notice when possible. You can continue in text or start Voice again.

How many Voice conversations can I have at once?

You can have one Voice conversation at a time.

Why don’t I see Live in my Voice settings?

Live is rolling out gradually. Availability depends on plan, region, workspace, and app version. Make sure ChatGPT is updated. If Live is unavailable, you can continue using Advanced or Standard Voice.