ChatGPT Voice can now act on email, calendars and Slack from the mobile app

OpenAI is turning ChatGPT's voice mode from a conversation partner into a hands-free way to get work done. The company announced on Wednesday that voice can now trigger agentic tasks on mobile, and The Decoder reported that, for the first time, voice can reach plugins such as email, calendar and Slack.

Examples OpenAI has shown include checking calendar entries, sending email, having ChatGPT find and cancel duplicate charges in finance apps, and even putting together a website that includes a checkout page. A demo video also covers weather queries and online shopping.

What each tier gets

The fuller set of features sits with paying subscribers. According to TechCrunch, Plus and Pro users can use the Work tab on their phones to create documents, draft email or summarize Slack messages. They can also build sites, make presentations, use the cloud browser and reach areas such as finances inside ChatGPT. Free and Go users get access to plugins and connected apps.

The Decoder said voice also works inside ChatGPT Work, where people can produce documents, presentations and spreadsheets by talking, and that the update is live in the latest version of the app.

Smoother switching between voice and text

OpenAI says voice conversations will now return richer text output, and users can move between typing and speaking more easily. A conversation started on a phone can be picked up later on desktop.

The mobile release follows GPT-Live, the conversational model OpenAI introduced in July. The company later connected it to the desktop app so users could handle Work tab tasks or build apps in the Codex tab by speaking, and the new rollout brings comparable abilities to phones.

The competitive picture

TechCrunch noted that Anthropic recently made moving between mobile and desktop easier and combined its Cowork and Chat interfaces, while OpenAI continues to keep chat and workspaces apart. The shift comes as more users speak commands to AI assistants for complex tasks, TechCrunch said.

For OpenAI and Sam Altman, the goal echoes the film Her, which Altman referenced when the first version of ChatGPT Voice launched in 2024. OpenAI sees a chance to change how people use computers, though The Decoder noted the approach also carries risks.