OpenAI's ChatGPT voice chat feature is now rolling out to free users; here's how to use it

OpenAI introduced voice chats on ChatGPT for Android and iOS devices in September, allowing users the opportunity to engage in real-time conversations with the chatbot. Initially accessible only to Plus and Enterprise subscribers, the feature is now gradually becoming available to all free users on mobile, as announced by OpenAI's co-founder Greg Brockman on X.

Acknowledging the potential risks associated with the capability to create lifelike synthetic voices from minimal speech samples, OpenAI opted to focus ChatGPT's voice feature solely on facilitating conversations. This functionality is powered by a text-to-speech model that produces human-like audio from text and brief speech samples, developed in collaboration with voice actors to offer a choice of five distinct voices.

While some users have gained access to voice conversations, many on Android, are yet to receive the feature. Its availability to all accounts may take some time, and it remains uncertain whether users need to opt in to access it. However, during the initial rollout of voice chats, paid subscribers had to activate it through Settings > New Features.

Brockman's announcement about the wider release of this capability came after his departure as President of OpenAI. His resignation followed the board's dismissal of CEO Sam Altman, leading to upheaval within the company as senior staff resigned in protest, while others threatened to quit unless Altman was reinstated. Subsequently, OpenAI reinstated both Altman and Brockman to their former roles.

To engage in voice chat using ChatGPT:

1. Open the ChatGPT app and log in to your account.
2. Navigate to Settings.
3. Select New Features.
4. Opt in for voice conversations.
5. Tap the headphone icon in the top-right corner to choose your preferred voice.
6. Click the blue headset icon and grant live activity permissions.
7. ChatGPT will prompt you when to start speaking.
8. If you cannot find the option for voice conversations, it might not have been rolled out to your account yet.

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