OpenAI has finally expanded Advanced Voice Mode with vision, bringing video input and screensharing to ChatGPT’s mobile experience. After a long tease during the company’s 12 Days of OpenAI, the feature is rolling out to users, enabling spoken interactions, image understanding, and live video collaboration in one cohesive chat interface. The rollout began as part of the holiday celebration, signaling a new era for how people can interact with ChatGPT on the go. With video, real-time screen visibility, and voice-enabled conversations, users can troubleshoot, learn, and explore topics with unprecedented fluency. The update marks a meaningful step beyond voice-only interactions, aligning with OpenAI’s ambition to make AI more accessible, context-aware, and useful across daily tasks and learning activities.
What’s new in Advanced Voice Mode with Vision
Advanced Voice Mode has always offered conversational AI through spoken input, but the latest update adds significant capabilities that transform how users engage with ChatGPT on mobile devices. The integration of vision alongside voice means ChatGPT can interpret not only spoken language but also visual content. Users can pose questions about what they see in images, describe scenes, or seek explanations about visual data, all within the same chat session.
Video input is now supported, enabling users to present dynamic on-screen content to the assistant. This makes ChatGPT a collaborative partner for tasks that require watching, analyzing, and reasoning about real-time visuals. The team characterizes the addition of video as a feature “long time coming” and emphasizes its potential for practical use cases such as asking for help with a problem, troubleshooting live issues, or learning something new by walking through visuals in real time.
Screensharing has also been introduced to Advanced Voice Mode with vision. This capability allows users to share what’s on their device screen and receive instantaneous feedback from ChatGPT about the content displayed. Whether a user is navigating complex software, reviewing a presentation, or analyzing a document, ChatGPT can provide guidance, identify errors, or suggest improvements as if it were an in-person assistant observing the screen alongside the user.
A Santa voice option has been added, selectable in ChatGPT settings or via the voice picker within the Voice Mode. This playful feature adds a distinctive tonal option to the experience, contributing to a more engaging and personalized interaction. The overall experience is designed to feel natural and conversational, with ChatGPT responding in a manner that mimics real-life dialogue, whether users are speaking, sharing an image, or showing a screen.
In practical terms, this update expands what users can do with ChatGPT on mobile. It supports speaking to the assistant and delivering visual context through images and video, while also enabling on-device screen sharing for collaborative problem solving. The combination of voice, vision, and screen sharing creates a multi-modal user experience that enhances comprehension, accelerates troubleshooting, and supports more nuanced learning scenarios. The introduction of these features reflects OpenAI’s ongoing effort to blend natural language processing with computer vision and interactive collaboration in a seamless mobile format.
How to access and interact: Step-by-step UI guide
Accessing Advanced Voice Mode with vision requires navigating the updated ChatGPT mobile interface. The user experience has been redesigned to accommodate the new multi-modal interactions while preserving the core chat-centric workflow users expect from ChatGPT.
To start using Advanced Voice Mode with video, begin by opening the ChatGPT mobile app and locating the updated interface. The far-right icon next to the search function now provides access to the enhanced mode. Tapping that icon opens a dedicated page where new controls are presented, including a video button, a microphone, three dots for additional options, and an exit control for leaving the mode.
Clicking the video button activates the video input feature. Once activated, users can ask questions or engage in a spoken dialogue while ChatGPT processes the visual content that accompanies the request. The chatbot responds in real time, maintaining a natural conversational rhythm that mirrors a face-to-face discussion. This setup enables a back-and-forth exchange where the assistant can reference both spoken language and visual cues to deliver accurate and context-aware answers.
The microphone control remains a key element, providing a familiar method for users who prefer voice-only input or a combination of voice and video. The three-dot menu offers supplementary settings that may include preferences for language, voice type, output style, and other customization options. An exit icon allows users to leave the advanced mode and return to standard chat if desired.
The Santa voice option is accessible through the voice picker located in the upper-right corner of the screen while in Voice Mode. Users can switch to this distinctive voice to personalize their interactions, adding a light-hearted or festive touch to conversations when appropriate. This option is part of the broader suite of voice customization features designed to tailor the experience to individual user preferences.
In addition to these controls, the updated interface supports screen sharing. When the screen-sharing feature is activated, ChatGPT can view and analyze the user’s on-screen content in real time and provide feedback, guidance, or troubleshooting steps based on what the user is displaying. This capability requires the user to initiate the screen share from within the ChatGPT environment, after which the assistant can respond with screen-contextual insights and recommendations.
Overall, the workflow remains anchored in a chat-centric model, with multi-modal inputs enriching the interaction. Users can seamlessly combine spoken input, shared visuals, and on-screen content to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of problems, solutions, or learning topics. The experience is designed to be fluid, intuitive, and accessible to a wide range of users, including students, professionals, and casual explorers who want to explore complex information with a responsive AI partner.
Video and screen-sharing capabilities: Practical uses
The addition of video and screen sharing to Advanced Voice Mode unlocks a variety of practical scenarios. For students and lifelong learners, video input allows the assistant to analyze demonstrations, lectures, or tutorials in real time. Learners can pose questions about a concept while showing diagrams, code, or experimental setups, and receive clarifications and step-by-step explanations tailored to the visuals presented.
In professional contexts, screen sharing can streamline workflows by enabling the AI to guide users through software tasks, review configurations, or assist with data analysis. For instance, a user troubleshooting a device or debugging an application can narrate the issue, share the relevant screen, and ask for targeted recommendations as the assistant observes the on-screen content. This approach reduces back-and-forth and accelerates problem resolution by offering context-aware guidance aligned with what the user is viewing.
The video capability broadens the scope of possible inquiries. Users can request the assistant to interpret charts, graphs, or videos, and to summarize key points or extract actionable insights. This is especially helpful when working with complex visual data, such as design mockups, engineering drawings, or marketing visuals. By combining voice and visuals, ChatGPT becomes more capable of understanding user intent and delivering precise, context-rich responses.
Screensharing further enhances collaboration. In group or self-guided tasks, users can share a screen to verify steps, compare results, or ensure instructions are followed correctly. The assistant can offer real-time feedback on layouts, content accuracy, and procedural correctness, which is particularly valuable in educational settings, customer support, and technical training environments. The pairing of screensharing with vision enables the AI to reference the exact visuals on the user’s screen, reducing ambiguity and enabling more reliable assistance.
For content creators and professionals who rely on visual materials, the combination of video and screen sharing means ChatGPT can review a portfolio, critique a presentation, or provide design recommendations while the user remains in control of the visual context. This multi-modal approach supports more nuanced and accurate guidance, helping users achieve better outcomes across a wide range of tasks.
In short, the video and screen-sharing enhancements to Advanced Voice Mode with vision enable more interactive, context-aware, and productive AI-assisted workflows. Users can consult the AI while simultaneously observing and manipulating visuals, which enhances comprehension, reduces guesswork, and accelerates learning and problem-solving processes.
Voice customization and the Santa voice feature
A distinctive element of the update is the introduction of the Santa voice option. Available in the voice picker within the upper-right corner of the interface, this feature adds a festive, characterful tone to the AI’s vocal output. While primarily a novelty, the Santa voice also demonstrates the platform’s flexibility in voice customization, signaling OpenAI’s commitment to providing a variety of vocal personas to suit different user preferences and contexts.
Beyond the Santa voice, the system supports configurable voice choices that allow users to tailor the AI’s tonality and delivery style. This customization can influence perceived warmth, formality, and pacing, which in turn affects user engagement and comprehension. The ability to adjust voice characteristics is especially useful for accessibility, as users may prefer a slower or more articulated delivery to better process information during complex explanations or demonstrations.
The presence of multiple voice options, including the Santa persona, contributes to a more engaging and personalized user experience. It can help reduce fatigue during extended sessions and make interactions feel more natural, especially in scenarios that involve long explanations, step-by-step instructions, or iterative problem-solving. The ability to switch voices can also serve as a cognitive cue, signaling shifts in topic or tone within a multi-modal conversation.
In addition to the novelty aspect, voice customization aligns with broader accessibility goals. Some users may respond better to certain voice profiles, improving recall and retention. By offering a range of vocal styles, OpenAI broadens the appeal and usefulness of Advanced Voice Mode with vision, ensuring that users can select the presentation style that best fits their learning or working preferences.
Rollout timeline and regional availability
The rollout of Advanced Voice Mode with vision is being deployed in stages, with timing varying by user group and region. The announcement originally highlighted a phased approach, aiming to reach a broad user base while ensuring stability and quality across devices and networks.
Initially, the plan indicated that all Team accounts and the majority of Plus and Pro subscribers would gain access within the first week of deployment, contingent on having the latest version of the ChatGPT mobile app. This phased approach helps manage server load, gather feedback, and address any edge cases that arise as more users begin to experiment with video input and screensharing.
Regionally, enhanced access for Plus and Pro users in the European Union, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein was noted as a priority, with access rolling out as soon as possible. In these areas, regulatory and privacy considerations are carefully managed to ensure compliance while delivering the enhanced experience. For Enterprise and Education plans, access was anticipated to come earlier in the following year, reflecting a strategy to prioritize organizational deployments and educational environments where the new capabilities can have a pronounced impact.
In practice, rollout timing can be influenced by app version availability, device compatibility, and network readiness. Users are advised to update to the latest ChatGPT mobile app version to ensure compatibility with video input and screensharing features. The rollout also depends on backend availability and regional policy considerations, which can affect the pace at which features become accessible to different user cohorts. While many users may experience rapid access, others could see a more gradual introduction as OpenAI works to optimize performance, minimize latency, and ensure a consistent experience across devices.
The holiday timing aligned with the broader 12 Days of OpenAI celebration, underscoring the company’s intent to deliver a feature-rich update that resonates with the season. Although the initial rollout was designed to reach a wide audience quickly, the company signaled that some users might experience a short delay before full access, particularly in EU and partner regions. Users should anticipate staggered availability, with the most comprehensive access expected to materialize within the coming days after launch, followed by continued expansion into enterprise and educational segments in the new year.
Use cases across industries: education, business, and personal productivity
Education professionals and students can leverage the new capabilities to transform learning experiences. Visual materials, diagrams, and lecture visuals become more accessible when ChatGPT can interpret video content, analyze images, and provide contextual explanations. Screensharing allows instructors to guide learners through complex software tasks or data analyses in real time, with the AI offering on-the-spot feedback and corrective suggestions. This multi-modal approach supports a more interactive and iterative learning process, enabling students to engage with content in a hands-on manner that complements traditional teaching methods.
In business environments, the combination of voice, video, and screensharing can streamline operations, accelerate decision-making, and improve collaboration. Teams can conduct quick problem-solving sessions where the AI helps interpret dashboards, review design files, or critique proposals while participants share the relevant screens or video demonstrations. The new capabilities support remote work by enabling more productive, context-rich conversations with an AI partner that can reference on-screen information and live visuals.
For personal productivity, users can rely on Advanced Voice Mode with vision to manage daily tasks more efficiently. The ability to ask questions while showing receipts, schedules, or planning materials can reduce back-and-forth and provide faster, more targeted guidance. When traveling or working in dynamic environments, the video input can capture real-world contexts, enabling the AI to offer timely insights and assistance tailored to the situation. The Santa voice option adds a lighthearted, engaging touch that can make routine tasks feel more approachable and enjoyable.
Across sectors, the feature supports accessibility and inclusive design. Vision and screen-sharing capabilities help individuals with certain impairments access information more easily, while voice controls reduce the cognitive load of interacting with complex software. The multi-modal approach can empower a broader audience to harness AI for learning, troubleshooting, and creative work, expanding OpenAI’s reach beyond traditional text-based chat interfaces.
In summary, Advanced Voice Mode with vision is positioned to influence education, enterprise, and personal productivity by enabling richer, more interactive AI-assisted sessions. The integration of voice, image understanding, video input, and screensharing fosters a more collaborative and context-aware experience that aligns with how people naturally communicate and work with information in the real world.
Device compatibility, privacy, and security considerations
The new features are designed to run smoothly on supported mobile devices, with an emphasis on delivering a high-quality experience across a range of hardware specifications. Users should ensure they’re operating on a compatible device with the latest version of the ChatGPT mobile app to access video input and screensharing features. While the exact device requirements may vary by platform and user region, updating to the most recent app build is a practical first step to enable the enhanced mode.
Privacy and security considerations accompany the multi-modal capabilities. Video input and screensharing provide richer data for the AI to analyze, which may raise questions about data handling and user consent. OpenAI typically emphasizes privacy-preserving practices and user controls, including opt-in mechanisms and transparent terms of use for how data is processed during conversations that include video and screen context. Users should review the latest privacy notices and app permissions to understand how their data is handled, stored, and used to improve AI services.
Screen sharing, in particular, involves transmitting on-device content to the AI for analysis. Users should consider the sensitivity of the material being shared and use shielding or masking when necessary. It is prudent to use the feature in trusted environments and with content that does not violate privacy or confidentiality requirements. The integration of these features is designed to balance usability with safeguards, ensuring that users retain control over what is shared and how it is interpreted by the AI.
From a security perspective, the multi-modal capabilities add new vectors for potential misuse if misused. As a result, OpenAI’s deployment strategy typically includes ongoing monitoring, safety mitigations, and safeguards to prevent harmful, illegal, or misleading use. Users should stay informed about any updates to safety policies and feature usage guidelines as the platform continues to evolve and expand its capabilities.
Potential challenges and rollout considerations
As with any major feature release, there are practical considerations and potential challenges for users and organizations adopting Advanced Voice Mode with vision. Access might be subject to regional regulatory requirements, especially when video input and screen-sharing are involved. Different jurisdictions may impose privacy protections, data localization rules, or other constraints that influence how these features can be deployed in enterprise environments or educational settings.
Latency and performance are important factors in the success of real-time video and screen-sharing interactions. Network conditions, device hardware, and server load can affect the responsiveness of the AI. Some users may experience brief delays or reduced performance in congested networks or on older devices. OpenAI’s ongoing optimizations aim to minimize latency and ensure a smooth experience even in less-than-ideal conditions.
User training and adaptation are also relevant. Multi-modal interactions require users to learn new interaction patterns, such as when to share a screen, how to frame a video input for best analysis, and how to switch between voice and video modes. Providing clear onboarding and in-app guidance can help users transition smoothly and maximize the benefits of the new capabilities.
In enterprise contexts, administrators need to plan for deployment at scale. This includes coordinating with IT teams to manage app distribution, ensure compatibility with existing systems, and address governance and compliance considerations. Organizations may require policies that govern who can access the features, how data is used, and what safeguards apply during screen sharing and video analysis.
Finally, the user experience will continue to evolve as OpenAI refines the features based on feedback. Early adopters may encounter edge cases or interface quirks that require updates or adjustments. A phased rollout approach helps identify and remediate these issues, ensuring that the feature becomes stable and reliable for a broad user base over time.
The road ahead: future enhancements and roadmap ideas
Looking forward, Advanced Voice Mode with vision opens the door to a variety of potential enhancements that could further enrich the user experience. Users and developers may anticipate deeper integration with third-party apps and services, enabling richer collaborative workflows where the AI can interact with other tools while maintaining a seamless chat experience. As the platform matures, more sophisticated image understanding, improved real-time video analysis, and enhanced screen-sharing controls could lead to even more powerful use cases across education, business, and personal productivity.
Future iterations might explore more nuanced voice personalization, broader language support, and expanded accessibility features to reach an even wider audience. Improvements in natural language understanding could enable the AI to interpret more complex visual cues, interpret multi-image contexts, and provide richer explanations that accommodate diverse learning styles. The roadmap could also include more granular privacy controls, allowing users to tailor data usage and sharing preferences to suit particular industries or regulatory environments.
Additionally, there may be opportunities to optimize performance on lower-end devices, enabling broader adoption across regions with varied hardware availability. OpenAI could introduce targeted modes for specific tasks, such as coding, design critique, or data visualization, each with specialized prompts and guidance that leverage both vision and voice capabilities. As with any AI platform, ongoing updates will likely balance feature breadth with reliability, security, and user trust, ensuring that Advanced Voice Mode with vision remains a valuable and responsible tool for a wide range of users.
Conclusion
OpenAI’s rollout of Advanced Voice Mode with vision represents a significant leap in how ChatGPT engages users on mobile devices. By combining spoken interaction, image understanding, video input, and real-time screensharing, the feature delivers a richer, more versatile AI assistant that can learn from and respond to complex visual contexts. The Santa voice option adds a playful touch to personalization, while the overall design emphasizes natural conversation flow, practical usefulness, and collaborative potential.
The feature’s introduction during the 12 Days of OpenAI underscores the company’s commitment to expanding AI capabilities in ways that align with real-world workflows. Availability is being phased to ensure a stable, high-quality experience, with broader access anticipated for Plus, Pro, Enterprise, and Education users in the coming weeks and months. As users adopt the new capabilities, they can explore a wide range of applications—from troubleshooting and learning to professional collaboration and creative work—through a single, multi-modal chat interface.
In the months ahead, the roadmap hints at continuous enhancements to vision, video, and screen-sharing capabilities, coupled with refined privacy protections and performance improvements. The ongoing evolution of Advanced Voice Mode with vision promises to deepen how people interact with AI, enabling more intuitive, productive, and engaging conversations that blend spoken language with live visuals in a seamless, mobile-ready package.