Emir BardakçıChatGPT voice is now supported as the default assistant on Android. The AI assistant battle is heating up with OpenAI’s recent move. The latest beta version of ChatGPT on Android now lets you set ChatGPT’s intelligent voice as the default assistant, as an alternative to Google’s Gemini. ChatGPT’s voice experience is favored by many users as it feels more natural and human-like, making it a great addition to the Android ecosystem.
ChatGPT vs. Gemini: The Assistant’s Showdown
While Google Assistant has been gradually replaced by Gemini (Google is phasing out the latter), ChatGPT is filling the void. ChatGPT’s voice capabilities have wowed users since its launch, offering an experience surprisingly similar to talking to a living being. While Gemini Live offers similar features, users feel it falls short of OpenAI when it comes to conversation flow and responses.
How to Set ChatGPT as Default Android Assistant
Want to make ChatGPT your default voice assistant instead of Gemini? Here’s how:
- Join the ChatGPT beta program by visiting the beta sign-up link and clicking “Become a Tester”.
- Wait a few minutes for the update to appear on Google Play, then update the app.
- Open ChatGPT version 1.2025.070 after the update and click on your avatar at the bottom right.
- Go to the “Voice” settings and enable the “Background conversations” setting.
- Go back to the chat window and click the wave icon in the text box.
- Let the voice charge fully
- Press and hold the power button to open the assistant selector and choose ChatGPT
If the assistant selector does not appear automatically:
- Go to your Android settings and find “Default apps”. Look for the “Assistance & voice input” settings.
- Select ChatGPT as your online assistant
If ChatGPT still doesn’t appear as an option, you’ll need to uninstall and reinstall the app, then repeat the steps above.
User experience and constraints
Once you have set ChatGPT as your default assistant, you can invoke it by long-pressing the power button. You can ask questions, get information, or just chat. It all gets logged in your ChatGPT conversation history for later use. One big downside is that ChatGPT is slower to launch than Gemini or Perplexity’s assistant. However, users find the experience worth the wait.
This new integration represents a major step forward in building AI assistants on Android, giving users more choice in how they interact with their device through voice.
