We no longer present ChatGPT – the first AI that can respond in a human and natural way to almost any question. This AI can act as a lawyer, an IT developer, write novels, posts for social networks, or give you access to information that is otherwise difficult to find, in just a few seconds.
ChatGPT is infect so useful that its designers didn’t have to do much to make the service the fastest growing in internet history. Until last week, OpenAI had not even seen fit to launch a mobile application – users could be satisfied with the web version, including on smartphones.
However, that just changed on May 18. OpenAI has thus announced the launch of the first official mobile application, a launch initially reserved for the United States. But this Thursday, May 25, 2023, the application arrives on smartphones in France. For now, however, it is exclusively available on iPhone – no date has been announced for the arrival of the application on Android smartphones.
But do you really have to install it? Here are three things to know.
Summary
- ChatGPT on iPhone remains a “freemium” service
- The application integrates OpenAI’s Whisper
- No plugins or Bing search
- How to download ChatGPT on your iPhone?
ChatGPT on iPhone remains a “freemium” service
De facto, the ChatGPT application on iPhone does not give access to anything very different from what the web version already allowed, which was already available on your mobile via Safari or Chrome. We find practically the same range of features, in a similar presentation.
Access to the GPT-3.5 model remains completely free. But of course if you want to access GPT-4 you will need a ChatGPT Plus subscription. There is, however, an easy way to enjoy the GPT-4 model for free, and this, whether you are on an iPhone or an Android smartphone.
The version of GPT-4 Bing Chat developed by Microsoft is available through the Microsoft Edge application. Once the app is downloaded, create or sign in with your Microsoft account. From there, click on the blue “B” in the center of the bar at the bottom of the screen. A chat is displayed: if you ask a question, GPT-4 will answer you.
The application integrates OpenAI’s Whisper
OpenAI is not only the origin of ChatGPT. The firm has also developed other advanced tools. And among the latter, there is Whisper, an AI-enhanced speech recognition system, completely Open Source.
The model was trained from 680,000 hours of supervised data in all languages collected on the web – enough to improve recognition of accents, extraneous noises, or the use of technical vocabulary. Whisper also allows on-the-fly transcription of what you say in the English language.
By integrating Whisper, OpenAI allows you to compare the effectiveness of its approach with the voice recognition already included in iOS. You can thus test Whisper by touching the recognition icon to the right of the text field. Or you can touch the “voice recognition” icon under the Return key on your virtual keyboard. Which then triggers the default iOS voice recognition.
No plugins or Bing search
Alas, as we have seen this morning, we have to give up on the latest news available for ChatGPT Plus subscribers. Recently, OpenAI has indeed deployed plugins that extend the possibilities of AI far beyond what is possible without them.
Another omission: Bing search. This has only been available on the web version for a few days. But in this mode, still in beta, it’s normally possible to ask a question in a prompt – ChatGPT will then supplement with searches on Microsoft’s Bing search engine if it doesn’t know the right answer or if it deems its knowledge is too limited.
The lack of Plugins and Bing search are arguably the two biggest reasons to avoid this app if you’re a Plus subscriber. It remains possible to access it via the web version available through Safari, Chrome or your favorite browser. Beyond that, as we told you, you can get GPT-4 with Bing search for free using the Microsoft Edge app rather than this new official ChatGPT app.
How to download ChatGPT on your iPhone?
Beyond the limitations we have just mentioned, this application still has at least two interests in our eyes. It grants faster access to OpenAI services. It also makes it easier to view your conversation history in a presentation more suitable for (touch) navigation on a smartphone.
We also note that it is the only official application of its kind: all other applications from the App Store bearing the ChatGPT or OpenAI logo should be avoided, because in many cases they are scams that do not have the purpose of collecting your personal data.