ChatGPT on WhatsApp gets major update: Image and voice inputs now supported

In an exciting development for WhatsApp users, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has been reportedly updated to accept image and voice message inputs. This follows the introduction of an official phone number for the AI chatbot in December 2024, which initially supported only text-based queries. The latest enhancements have now been rolled out globally, allowing users to interact with ChatGPT on WhatsApp in novel ways.

The new features were first noticed by Android Authority and have since sparked widespread interest among the chatbot’s user community. With image processing capabilities, users can reportedly now send photos or memes to ChatGPT and receive insightful responses about the visual content. However, it is important to note that while the system can analyse and comment on images, it is currently limited to replying with text and does not generate images in return.

Similarly, the integration of voice input offers a welcome convenience, particularly for those who prefer speaking to typing lengthy prompts. Users can now send voice messages, and the chatbot will process the audio input and provide a text-based response, the publication added. This upgrade is expected to enhance the user experience, especially in situations where typing is impractical.

Reportedly, OpenAI has also hinted at future developments, including the possibility of allowing users to sign into their ChatGPT accounts directly via WhatsApp. This feature could enable synchronisation of conversations across both the WhatsApp platform and the ChatGPT web client or mobile app, provided the same account is used.

While these upgrades mark a significant step forward in accessibility and ease of use, users are advised to exercise caution when sending images that contain personal or sensitive information, as these will be processed on OpenAI’s servers.

OpenAI has also added a new ‘deep research’ mode to ChatGPT, allowing users to perform multi-step research on the web for more complex tasks. Notably, Deep Research is OpenAI’s second AI agent, following the launch of Operator AI for browser-related tasks last month.