There has been plenty of talk in the past few months when ChatGPT came to the spotlight. Since then, many third-party apps have started to incorporate it. That also spawned a bunch of imitation apps with questionable security measures. This brought us to the official app launching first in USA.
OpenAI (parent company of ChatGPT) has been officially expanding availability of the mobile app to more geographies worldwide, now including a significant part of the Middle East and North Africa region (plus some in the Indian Subcontinent).
What is ChatGPT?
If you don’t know but have heard the word, that’s the questions you’re probably asking. In the simplest explanation: it’s an AI-based chatbot that uses generative artificial intelligence to answer questions and provide advice on all manner of subjects. It allows users to use it for the following
- Instant answers: Get precise information without sifting through ads or multiple results.
- Tailored advice: Seek guidance on cooking, travel plans, or crafting thoughtful messages.
- Creative inspiration: Generate gift ideas, outline presentations, or write the perfect poem.
- Professional input: Boost productivity with idea feedback, note summarization, and technical topic assistance.
- Learning opportunities: Explore new languages, modern history, and more at your own pace.
Happy?
Diving into the app
With the official iOS/iPadOS app, users can interact with the generative AI-based chatbot via their iPhone or iPad. You will need to make an OpenAI account beforehand.
Account holders will see their usage history synced across devices; you can see your ChatGPT interactions both on the web and on iOS devices.
While the app is free to use, the sudden surge in popularity saw OpenAI launch a monthly ChatGPT Plus service that gives users priority during higher demand, faster response time, and even early access to the newer features like the more powerful ChatGPT 4 capabilities.
Don’t want to type? The app supports voice input through Whisper (OpenAI’s speech recognition system) and lets ChatGPT Plus users access advanced features through GPT-4.
As for its availability across the MENA region (plus a bit in the Indian Subcontinent), below are the countries where the app is officially available on the respective country’s App Stores.
- Qatar
- UAE
- Oman
- Kuwait
- Jordan
- Lebanon
- Iraq
- Palestine
- Tunisia
- Morocco
- Algeria
- Turkey
- India
- Pakistan
Not sure why Saudi Arabia nor Bahrain were’t part of the same group as the GCC. To also showcase the power of ChatGPT when it comes to Arabic, you might want to see the below tweet comparing the free and the Plus option.
Since the initial release, the app saw more than 500k installs on iOS. Android users will still have to wait, as OpenAI are still working on a native app for the platform.
Want to download it already? Get the official app from the App Store.
