ChatGPT to be launched on Google's Android devices next week

Users can now order the app, which is expected to allow the syncing of conversations, settings and preferences across devices

ChatGPT became big news because of its advanced conversational capabilities. Reuters

ChatGPT, the generative artificial intelligence platform from OpenAI, will be available on Google's Android devices next week, two months after it appeared on Apple's iOS.

A date for the launch was not provided, but users can register on the Google Play store, Microsoft-backed OpenAI said in a tweet on Friday.

Users will be notified once the ChatGPT app is ready for download. It will provide “OpenAI’s latest advancements at your fingertips”, ChatGPT's page on Google Play said.

“This official app is free, syncs your history across devices and brings you the newest model improvements from OpenAI.”

Just like its release for Apple's iOS, it is expected that the Android iteration would first be available in the US, with other countries following in the weeks or months ahead.

At present, ChatGPT is available in Albania, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, South Korea, the UK and the US.

While ChatGPT can be accessed using a web browser, a dedicated app will provide users more convenience and access anywhere.

The introduction will also allow Android users to catch up with those using Apple's iPhones, which were the first to receive the free ChatGPT app in May. At that time, OpenAI said an Android version will be “coming soon”.

It is expected that the ChatGPT app on both iOS and Android will have a similar design and features, as well as the ability to let users to sync their conversations, settings and preferences across devices.

AI has long been used, but it has gained significant momentum with the advent of generative AI. The technology – made popular by ChatGPT – can produce various kinds of data, including audio, code, images, text, simulations, 3D objects and videos.

ChatGPT earned a high profile because of its advanced conversational capabilities. It can even answer questions from patients “more accurately and empathically than doctors”, according to a recent study by the University of California.

Its rise started a race with Google's Bard, drew interest from Twitter chief executive Elon Musk and prompted Apple to work on improving its digital assistant Siri.

Investors have poured more than $4.2 billion into generative AI start-ups in 2021 and 2022 through 215 deals after interest surged in 2019, recent data from CB Insights showed.

Last month, Microsoft and Mercedes-Benz announced that they have teamed up to test ChatGPT in the German luxury car maker's fleet, the first such adoption of the technology in vehicles.