New ChatGPT widget is in the works for easy access on Android
What you need to know
ChatGPT app in beta for Android gets a new 4 x 2 widget.
There are five new shortcuts on the widget, of which only a few are available for ChatGPT Plus users.
The feature is available in the 1.2024.052 beta version of the app; an official rollout is expected soon.
The ChatGPT app on Android gets a new nifty feature that is easier for users to access — thanks to a new rich feature that is being added, notes Mishaal Rahman (via The Verge).
According to Rahman, the app bearing the 1.2024.052 version is showcasing the new 4 x 2 widget that features four new shortcuts, including the ability to open up text, camera, image, voice query, or start a conversation mode directly from your Android phone home screen.
As Rahman notes, the feature is yet to hit the Google Play Store officially, and the previous version appears to be in beta as of now. However, users can try it out by downloading it separately.
For those who are willing to try out the new widget, one thing to note is the fact that a couple of them — the camera and the image search queries on the widget are limited to the paid plan of the ChatGPT app, which is dubbed ChatGPT Plus. It was introduced to U.S. consumers back in February 2023.
It isn't the first time we have seen ChatGPT being showcased on an Android home screen. In late January, Carl Pei announced that ChatGPT's voice assistant was being implemented on the home screen of the Phone (2). The ability was further integrated into the Quick Settings panel to access it hassle-free.
If you are willing to test the above-mentioned beta version, once updated, you can choose the new 4 x 2 ChatGPT widget from the widgets pane for your Android home screen.
ChatGPT has been one of the greater alternatives to Google's Gemini, and it has been from the start for Android devices even before Gemini (previously Bard) was available for Android devices. That said, the availability of the widget on iOS devices is still unclear at this point. It might venture soon into the platform after it officially launches on Android devices in the near future.
