OpenAI’s ChatGPT comes to phones and WhatsApp

OpenAI announced that ChatGPT will be coming to phones and WhatsApp, allowing people to call up the chatbot for their queries or chat with it like a WhatsApp contact.

“You can now talk to ChatGPT by calling 1-800-ChatGPT (1-800-242-8478) in the U.S. or by sending a WhatsApp message to the same number—available everywhere ChatGPT is,” said OpenAI in a post on X on December 19.

Users will have to add ChatGPT as a contact in their phone in order to chat with it through WhatsApp.

The company shared a mock-up video of a user chatting with their friend on WhatsApp while switching between their conversation and a separate one with ChatGPT in order to source the name and recipe of a French dessert that had come up in the earlier conversation.

For phone users, U.S. residents will get 15 minutes per month of voice calling, though this is subject to change as the chatbot evolves. Canada residents can also call ChatGPT from their phones, as well as users of flip phone and landline phones.

“For a fuller experience with access to more features like search, higher limits, and greater personalization, existing users should continue using ChatGPT directly through their accounts,” said OpenAI on X.

The announcement comes as part of OpenAI’s ‘12 Days of Shipmas’ series of launches and releases.