Just days after I tested Gemini Live vs. ChatGPT Advanced Voice in a 5-round voice-off, OpenAI unveils a major upgrade to ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode — and it’s one of the clearest signs yet that talking to an AI assistant might soon feel as natural as chatting with a friend.
For paid users, the upgrade brings noticeably more fluid, expressive and human-like speech. According to OpenAI, ChatGPT now uses subtler intonation, realistic cadence and even emotional inflection — including sarcasm and empathy.
If you’ve ever felt that ChatGPT sounded “off” or too robotic, this update might change your mind.
Talk to ChatGPT — and have it translate as you go
Beyond sounding better, ChatGPT Voice is also getting a major utility boost: real-time language translation.
Given that real-time translation was just announced as part of Apple Intelligence at WWDC — and ChatGPT now integrates with Siri — the timing likely isn’t a coincidence.
You can now ask ChatGPT to translate between languages on the fly, and it’ll continue translating automatically until you tell it to stop or switch.
That means you could speak English while traveling in Brazil and have ChatGPT translate your words into Portuguese, and then listen as it translates your waiter’s response back into English. No switching apps or fumbling through menus. Just an ongoing, seamless conversation powered by AI.
Whether you’re traveling, navigating a multilingual workplace or just trying to learn a new language, this new translation feature could be a game-changer.
How to try the new Voice Mode
The updated Advanced Voice is available now to all paid ChatGPT users, across all markets and platforms.
Just tap the microphone icon in the message composer to activate Voice.
This builds on previous updates earlier this year that reduced interruptions and improved accent performance.
A few known hiccups
There are still a few bugs to be aware of. OpenAI says that some voices may experience slight dips in audio quality or tonal consistency, including odd changes in pitch.
In rare cases, users may also hear unintended sounds, like fake ads or random background music. OpenAI is actively working to fix these “hallucinations” in future updates.
But overall, this upgrade marks a big step forward in making ChatGPT a more natural, useful voice assistant.
