How to Use OpenAI’s Latest Advanced Voice Mode for ChatGPT Conversations

ChatGPT makes voice chatting more natural.

OpenAI announced Tuesday that its popular chatbot has expanded its voice capabilities for people who pay for its premium service. The tool makes conversations smoother.

Publication will continue throughout this week. The company said it’s not yet available in EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland or the UK.

OpenAI announced the new features in May. The introduction attracted a lot of attention because of the voice, named Skye, which sounded similar to Scarlett Johansson’s in the 2013 film “Her.” According to a CNBC report, lawyers representing Johansson sent a letter to OpenAI arguing that the company did not have the rights to use the nearly identical voice, after which OpenAI stopped using the voice in its products.

In the months since, users on the free plan have been able to set up ChatGPT to talk to them in a variety of voices. The enhanced version responds faster and stops speaking and listening when you interrupt it. There are currently nine voices to choose from, and you can enter voice chat instructions in the Customization section of the app settings.

“Hope you think it was worth the wait,” Sam Altman, OpenAI’s co-founder and CEO, wrote in an X post on Tuesday.

This is an increasingly competitive field for Microsoft-backed OpenAI.

In recent weeks, Google has released its own language feature, Gemini Live, in English, for Android devices. And on Monday, Reuters reported that Meta will roll out celebrity voices accessible via Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp later this week.

OpenAI got a head start in the generative AI chatbot market when it launched ChatGPT in the second half of 2022. In August, OpenAI told media that ChatGPT had more than 200 million weekly active users.

Advanced mode is only available to subscribers of OpenAI Plus, Team, or Enterprise plans. The cheapest option is the Plus package, which costs $20 per month.

How it works:

As long as you allow OpenAI to access your device, it’s easy to get started once you pay the fee.

First, make sure you have the latest version of the app installed on your phone.

Open the ChatGPT app.

OpenAI says you’ll get a notification in the app when access to the new feature is enabled. Click the “Next” button to get started.

Create a new chat by swiping right or tapping the two-line icon in the top-left corner and selecting ChatGPT at the top. To the right of the Message text box and microphone icon, you’ll see a sound wave icon. Tap it to make sure sound is turned on.

After a few seconds, you’ll hear a faint “shock” sound and the circle in the center of the screen will turn into a flowing, sky-like blue-and-white animation. Start talking. You should hear a reply shortly. Don’t be surprised if the sound stutters a little.

OpenAI said it has improved accents for some foreign languages and increased speech speed. But if you don’t like what you hear, you can ask ChatGPT to speak differently. For example, you can tell it to speak faster or use a southern accent.

With Advanced Language Mode, you can also have ChatGPT tell you bedtime stories, prepare you for a job interview, or improve your foreign language skills.

Paying for it doesn’t give you unlimited access to Advanced Voice Mode, though. After about 30 minutes of use on Tuesday, the screen displayed a “15 minutes remaining” message at the bottom.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for details about the deadline.