How ChatGPT app for Android differs from ChatGPT web
What's the story
ChatGPT app is now available for Android users in India. OpenAI has also released the official app in other countries, including the US, Brazil, and Bangladesh. For iOS users, the app was released in May with voice search and other features. Most of you are accustomed to using ChatGPT's web client. But is there a difference with the Android app? Let's see.
Context
Why does this story matter?
ChatGPT's release on the Android platform is an extremely important step forward for OpenAI given there are far more Android users in the world than iOS users. The generative AI chatbot is now more accessible to users in the form of a mobile app and this will only add to its popularity. We may also see more people opt for ChatGPT Plus.
Difference
Experience on Android app is similar to web client
Chances are you already know how ChatGPT works on the web. You ask your queries or punch in prompts (say you are looking for a food recipe) and the chatbot replies accordingly with the necessary information. The experience on the Android app is largely similar and perhaps slightly better since the interface has been improved for the mobile version.
Access
Your chat history is synced across all devices
If you already have an account, you can sign in using those credentials on the ChatGPT Android app or else you can create a new one. The app is called 'ChatGPT' on Google Play Store and is available for free. You can see your chat history from the web synced across your devices provided you have enabled "chat history and training" on your account.
Information
You can get additional features with ChatGPT Plus
OpenAI also offers ChatGPT Plus, a paid subscription that provides more benefits like more usage limits, faster response speed, access to more features, and a superior language model (GPT-4). It is available on the Android app as well.
Permissions
The app will collect your location and personal details
ChatGPT will collect a host of information from you, including location details, personal info, messages, and app activity. The official Google Play Store description mentions the app does have certain security practices in place. For instance, your data will be encrypted in transit, meaning it will be transferred over a secure connection. You can also request the developer to delete your data.