I didn’t think I’d appreciate ChatGPT Search so much when I first tried it a few weeks ago, but the feature turned out to be a massive surprise. First, OpenAI brought a search chat feature to the ChatGPT experience when it rolled out ChatGPT Search to premium users. Also, the company overhauled the ChatGPT chat UI to always display sources prominently.
OpenAI also created a neat browser extension that lets you turn ChatGPT Search into your default search engine. However, ChatGPT Search only worked on paid accounts. ChatGPT Search was available in the iPhone app for users on the Free tier more than once in the past few weeks. But those were limited tests or mistakes that OpenAI corrected.
Fast-forward to the “12 Days” events the company is hosting, I had my money on ChatGPT Search coming to ChatGPT Free users. It turns out I was right. The Day 8 event was all about ChatGPT Search, with OpenAI bringing the feature to ChatGPT Search users with a free OpenAI account.
But that’s not all OpenAI unveiled. The company gave ChatGPT Search two big upgrades that will change how I browse the web. ChatGPT Search now supports Advanced Voice Mode, so you can search the web by voice. On top of that, the mobile ChatGPT app for iPhone integrates with Apple Maps in online searches.
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ChatGPT Search getting Advanced Voice Mode is the kind of upgrade we’ll need in any online search engine, whether it’s OpenAI, Google, or something else. Telling ChatGPT to look for specific information about a topic on the web by voice and having all that information spoken to you is amazing.
You can interrupt the chatbot to update your search without loading a single page. Forget correcting your keywords, which is what you’d do when your first Google Search fails to get the information you were looking for. Just adjust the prompt by voice, and ChatGPT Search will deliver.
Also, you’ll have those ChatGPT chats waiting in your account, so you can pick up research where you left off, or continue a discussion with the chatbot about a previous online search.
ChatGPT Search is getting faster and better than before now that it’s rolling out to all Free users globally. The mobile app will get rich results, complete with images. On the desktop, you’ll get prominent sources, some of them displayed at the top of the search chat when you’re looking for specific websites.
We’re also adding maps to ChatGPT in our mobile apps, so you can search for and chat about local restaurants and businesses with up-to-date information. pic.twitter.com/bQb4zilq6p
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) December 16, 2024
The second great upgrade OpenAI announced for ChatGPT Search concerns navigation. ChatGPT Search for iPhone integrates with Apple Maps, so you’ll see location information for some of the things you might be searching for.
I have missed the Google Maps functionality in Google Search the most since ditching the latter. I gave up Google Search well before ChatGPT Search came out, replacing it with a combination of apps.
I still use Google Maps when searching for business information, such as their location and opening times. But ChatGPT Search with Apple Maps integration might be a great replacement. I’ll have to test it and decide whether it’s good enough.
That said, it sure looks like OpenAI is making ChatGPT Search a priority, and it’s listening to user feedback to improve the service. You can try it right away as soon as you create your ChatGPT Free account.
