Back in December, OpenAI rolled out a new way to chat with ChatGPT: You can reach out to the generative AI by calling 1-800-CHATGPT (no, really)—or, if you have WhatsApp, you can text that same number to share what's on your mind.
While many of ChatGPT's distinct features were missing, the core of the experience was still present. You text or ask ChatGPT something out loud, and the bot responds in kind. For WhatsApp users, that largely feels like texting a friend—only, that friend happens to respond right away with a detailed response generated entirely by AI. (We all have one of those friends, right?)
Now, less than two months after rolling out this new way to contact ChatGPT, OpenAI is expanding its features on WhatsApp. There are two key updates here: One, you can now upload and send images when chatting with ChatGPT, which means you can request that the bot analyzes a photo, or provide an image as added context to a greater query.
Second, you can share voice messages to ChatGPT. If there are times when you can't call ChatGPT and talk for extended periods of time, but you don't want to type out your full question, you can simply send a voice message instead.
OpenAI also shared that the company is working on a way for users to link their ChatGPT accounts (whether free, Plus, or Pro) to WhatsApp, but that feature isn't live yet.
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While these updates should make it a bit easier for WhatsApp users to use ChatGPT through the messaging app, the entire experience is still quite limited: OpenAI gives all U.S. numbers 15 minutes of call time per month, with a "daily limit" on WhatsApp messages. In addition, this experience has a knowledge cut off of October of 2023, so don't expect this version of ChatGPT to know anything that's happened in the past year and a half.
If you like ChatGPT, you should probably just download the ChatGPT app. However, if you only want to interact with the bot once in a blue moon, and don't want to clutter your phone up with yet another app (another AI app, at that), sure—send ChatGPT all the images and voice messages you want (or, more accurately, can).
