ChatGPT’s mobile app is better than most people expect. It’s not just a chat interface — it supports voice conversations, camera input, memory, and Siri/Google Assistant integration. If you’re still using ChatGPT only on desktop, you’re leaving a lot of utility behind.
Here’s how to set it up properly on both iPhone and Android.
Download the Right App
This sounds obvious, but it matters: only download from OpenAI directly.
There are hundreds of ChatGPT-branded apps on both app stores, many of them monetizing a thin wrapper around the free API. Some are fine; some are shady. To get the actual OpenAI product:
iPhone: Search “ChatGPT” in the App Store. The official app is by OpenAI, with a simple black-and-white icon. Verify the developer name is “OpenAI” before downloading.
Android: Same approach — search “ChatGPT” in the Google Play Store, confirm the developer is “OpenAI.”
The real app is free to download. In-app purchase unlocks Plus features.
Create or Sign In to Your Account
If you already have a ChatGPT account from the web, your login works in the app. Same account, same chat history, same subscription tier.
If you’re new:
- Tap Sign up
- Enter your email or use Google/Apple sign-in
- Verify your email
- You’re in — free tier by default
The free tier gives you access to GPT-4o mini with daily access to GPT-4o. Enough to get started.
The Interface: What’s Where
When you open the app, you’ll see a clean chat interface. Key elements:
The chat bar at the bottom — Type here or tap the microphone icon on the right for voice.
The + icon (bottom left) — Opens options to attach files, photos, or take a photo. On Plus, this also accesses image generation.
Top-right menu — Access your chat history, account settings, and subscription info.
New chat button — Top right (pencil icon on iOS, compose icon on Android). Start a fresh conversation.
Model selector — Visible at the top of the chat. Tap to switch between GPT-4o, GPT-4o mini, or o1/o3 if you have Plus.
Setting Up Voice Mode
Voice mode is one of the most underused features on mobile. It lets you have a real-time spoken conversation with ChatGPT — not text-to-speech, but actual back-and-forth dialogue.
To use it:
- Open a new chat
- Tap the waveform icon in the bottom right (looks different from the simple microphone)
- ChatGPT will activate Advanced Voice Mode — give it a moment to initialize
- Start talking
Advanced Voice Mode responds in real time, can be interrupted mid-sentence, and picks up emotional nuance. It’s useful for brainstorming out loud, practicing for presentations or interviews, getting quick answers while driving, or thinking through a problem verbally.
Tip: You can also tap the basic microphone icon for standard voice input (speak → text transcribed → sent as message → text or voice response). This is different from Advanced Voice Mode and works offline for the transcription part.
Allow Camera Access for Visual Questions
ChatGPT can analyze photos you take in real time. To enable this:
- When prompted, allow camera and photo library access
- In a chat, tap the + icon → Camera or Photo Library
Useful for: reading a confusing label, identifying a plant or insect, analyzing a chart or graph, helping with a physical task (“here’s my circuit board, what’s wrong with it”), or translating text in an image.
On iOS with Plus, you can also use the camera in live mode during voice conversations — hold up something and ask about it while talking.
Settings Worth Changing
Go to your profile icon → Settings:
Speech — Choose your preferred voice for ChatGPT responses (multiple options available). Pick one you find easy to listen to.
Main Language — If you primarily interact in a language other than English, set this here.
Memory — If enabled, ChatGPT remembers facts about you across conversations (your job, preferences, things you’ve told it). This can be very useful or slightly creepy depending on your preferences. Review what it has stored under Manage Memory and delete anything you don’t want retained.
Haptic Feedback — Toggle off if you find the vibrations annoying during voice mode.
Notification settings (in your phone’s settings app, not ChatGPT) — Most people don’t need ChatGPT push notifications. Consider leaving them off.
Add a Home Screen Widget (iOS)
On iPhone, you can add a ChatGPT widget to your home screen for one-tap access:
- Long-press on the home screen → tap + (top left)
- Search for “ChatGPT”
- Choose a widget size and tap Add Widget
- The widget lets you start a new chat or voice session without unlocking, opening the app, and navigating in
Small convenience, but it lowers the friction to actually use ChatGPT throughout the day.
Siri and Google Assistant Integration
iPhone: You can say “Hey Siri, ChatGPT” to open the app. There’s no native deep integration with Siri’s responses (Apple Intelligence handles that separately), but you can add shortcuts that launch ChatGPT with a custom phrase.
Android: On newer Android versions, you can set ChatGPT as the default assistant app: Settings → Apps → Default Apps → Digital assistant app → ChatGPT. After that, holding the home button (or your gesture equivalent) launches ChatGPT instead of Google Assistant.
This is a bigger change than it sounds — it replaces Google Assistant entirely for that trigger. Worth testing before committing.
Managing Chat History
All your conversations sync across devices. Everything you’ve chatted on desktop shows up in the app and vice versa.
To organize:
- Long-press a conversation to rename, archive, or delete it
- Use the search bar (swipe down on the chat list on iOS) to find old conversations
If you’re using ChatGPT for sensitive brainstorming, note that you can turn off chat history for a session: tap your profile → Data Controls → toggle off Improve the model for everyone. Or use a temporary chat (new chat → the clock icon on Android, or swipe left on a new conversation on iOS).
Free vs. Plus on Mobile
The free app is solid. You get GPT-4o (with limits), voice mode (limited), and image viewing.
Plus ($20/month, managed in the app) adds:
- Higher GPT-4o message limits
- Full Advanced Voice Mode
- Image generation (DALL-E)
- Access to newer models (o1, o3 variants)
- Priority access during peak hours
If you use ChatGPT daily for work, Plus is worth it. If you use it occasionally, the free tier holds up well.
One More Thing: Keep the App Updated
OpenAI ships updates frequently — new features, model improvements, bug fixes. Make sure auto-update is on for the ChatGPT app specifically. Feature releases often aren’t well-publicized; you’ll just notice new capabilities appear after an update.
The mobile app has matured into a genuinely capable tool. If you set it up once with the right settings and get comfortable with voice mode, it changes how and when you use AI — not just at a desk, but throughout your day.