1In one sentence
Voice mode lets you talk to ChatGPT out loud and hear it answer, like a phone call, which is handy while walking, cooking, practicing a language or when typing is a chore.
2New words
- Voice mode — a full-screen conversation where you speak and ChatGPT speaks back. Started with the sound-wave icon beside the message box (phone and web).
- Dictation — the microphone icon, which only turns your speech into text in the box. Different from voice mode.
- Live — the current main voice version (since October 2026 OpenAI calls it GPT-Live-1.1), which listens and talks in real time, can be interrupted, and has more natural accents and new voices for several languages; pick one in Settings, then Voice. Free and Go get a smaller version with a time limit.
- Transcript — the written record of your voice chat. It appears in the chat afterward, though not word for word.
3Why you would want it
Some things are easier said than typed: practicing Spanish, working through a worry, asking for a recipe step while your hands are full, or getting a child to ask their homework questions. Voice also removes the "blank page" feeling; talking comes naturally.
4Try it now
- In the phone app, tap the sound-wave icon at the right of the message box.
- Allow microphone access.
- Say: I want to practice ordering coffee in Italian. You are the barista. Correct me gently.
- Have the conversation. Tap the X to end it, then read the transcript in the chat.
5What you will see
A simple screen with a moving shape that reacts as you both talk:
Screenshot of the real result goes here
The voice mode screen
The voice mode screen
In the phone app you can also turn on the camera during a voice chat and ask about what it sees.
6Watch out
- Voice is limited by time on Free and Go, and the limit is not published in numbers. If it stops, check Settings, Usage.
- It can mishear names and numbers. For anything precise, switch to typing or ask it to repeat what it understood.
7Go further
Try a 5-minute daily language practice in voice. Then read Chapter 1.15 for the part of ChatGPT that goes off and does work for you.