I wrote off ChatGPT’s voice mode, then found 7 ways it’s genuinely useful

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Talking to ChatGPT feels more collaborative than typing.
• It shines for brainstorming, prep, and translation.
• Usage limits can interrupt productivity mid-session.

Over the past year or so, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with OpenAI. Most of the time, those conversations have been about programming or coding-related capabilities, but recently, I had a discussion about Voice Mode.

OpenAI wanted to get across a number of examples you can do with it. The last time I took a look at Voice Mode, I was assessing its technical knowledge. The AI fabricated answers in order to provide rapid responses which, at that time, nerfed its usefulness to me.

Also: Is ChatGPT Plus still worth your $20? I compared it to the Free, Go, and Pro plans – here’s my advice

After that fail, I kind of ignored the capability. But the suggestions that OpenAI made about how to get the most out of Voice Mode play to its strengths and made me want to check it out again. So, I decided to have a conversation in Voice Mode about Voice Mode.

That conversation proved to be very productive, and now I’m going to highlight seven things you can do with Voice Mode that’ll increase your productivity. Read on to the end because there’s a bonus, an eighth idea that itself is worth the price of entry.

Also: This ChatGPT upgrade just fixed my biggest annoyance with voice mode – for free

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET’s parent company, filed an April 2025 lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Using Voice Mode

Voice Mode runs on mobile devices, as well as in your browser. On mobile, there are two ChatGPT widgets available for the lock screen. One widget opens the app, and one launches ChatGPT Voice. If you choose the Voice widget, you’ll have immediate one-tap access to Voice Mode right from your lock screen.

I found the in-the-browser desktop capability really interesting because it works when the tab is backgrounded. Just tap the small icon on the right of the chat bar.

Also: This simple ChatGPT trick helps you spot scams before you click or respond

So, for example, I was able to have an email message open while I was in the Gmail tab of Chrome while talking with ChatGPT Voice Mode. I found that quite helpful, especially as I was going through the email thread I had with OpenAI on this topic.

Everything that you discuss by voice becomes a ChatGPT transcript. That allows you to go back and cut and paste from the chat transcript into other documents or your email.

I did note that when I used Voice Mode for a productivity discussion, the resultant transcript was more chatty. You’ll have to do a little bit more digging in your transcript to find the jewels that you want to paste into other things, but it does work.

You can also use Voice Mode for pure dictation by telling it “start dictation” and “stop dictation.” That allows Voice Mode to capture your exact words and then save them to the chat.

You can choose from a variety of voices.

I chose Vale, which has a British accent and a Mary Poppins feel to it. If you want another British accent, there’s also Arbor, which has a little bit more of an Artful Dodger feel to it. There are also more cheerful or more business-like American-accent voices that you can choose.

Voice Mode uses that should get you started

The following ideas were provided by OpenAI, but I added an additional idea as a bonus. Keep in mind that there are a lot more ways you can use Voice Mode as a productivity pal, but this list should get you thinking.

1. Instant translation while traveling

One of the conceits old school science fiction like Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Farscape used was that everyone spoke English, even aliens from distant planets. The way protagonists communicated with aliens was some form of universal translator, a device that converted spoken word from one language to another.

Now, however, your phone can be a universal translator. Just open up the ChatGPT app and let it translate for you. You can tell it to translate into the language of choice. Then, when you say something in English, it will say something that means the same thing in the target language. What makes this such a practical tool is that it can translate what the other person is saying in that language back to English.

Also: OpenAI just unveiled its Google Translate competitor, and ChatGPT already wins in a big way

OpenAI doesn’t directly list the number of languages, nor does it specify the languages it can translate. However, as this Instagram clip shows, it’s certainly possible to use ChatGPT to help communicate while traveling.

As you might imagine, I found some counterproductive ways to make this feature entertain me. Translating into conversational Klingon seemed like table stakes, and it accomplished it. The AI failed translating into Shyriiwook, the language of Wookiees. Apparently, it’s far too guttural for the AI to manage. However, I was able to translate spoken English into Huttese, the language spoken by Hutts like Jabba and widely understood in the Star Wars underworld.

2. Talk it out to organize your thoughts

I often find that using another person as a sounding board can help me organize my thoughts. As it turns out, you can also use ChatGPT’s Voice Mode to do the same thing.

When in Voice Mode, you can give it prompts like “I’m going to ramble for 60 seconds about what’s stressing me out. Then summarize what you heard and give me 3 next steps,” or “I have a busy day, help me build a to-do list from everything I’m about to tell you.”

Also: I stopped using ChatGPT for everything: These AI models beat it at research, coding, and more

I used Voice Mode to talk through some of the ideas in this article. Although I was eventually cut off in my conversation (more on that below), I asked it to go through what we’d talked about and extract questions I’d asked it as a quick bullet list. It did, and I used those questions to build up my quick lightning round Q&A below.

For this capability, just tell the AI to listen, then talk to it. When you’re done, or even part of the way through, ask it to organize, clarify, or motivate you for additional thoughts.

3. An on-the-go thought partner

The previous technique talks about using ChatGPT’s Voice Mode to structure information, basically to turn ideas into a list, a plan, or concise notes.

But you can take ChatGPT in the opposite direction to help you brainstorm ideas, what the buzzword fans call “ideation.” In this example, you’re not just organizing your thoughts, you’re exploring to find something new. You’re using ChatGPT to trigger thinking, analysis, and new ideas.

Also: How to learn ChatGPT in an hour – for free

Use prompts like “Can you talk me through this,” or “Can you guide me into discovering new approaches?” to fully trigger this technique.

4. Prep for an interview or big meeting with live practice

This was fun. I asked ChatGPT to ask me five interview questions, as if I were auditioning for a product manager gig. Back when I was a mere young pup, I was a product manager and then product marketing director for some computer and software companies.

ChatGPT asked me a series of questions. What I liked about this was that it was interactive. It’s much different to answer a live practice question verbally than it is to go back to your computer, think about an answer, and write it up as paragraphs.

Also: ChatGPT ads start today: Here’s what to expect – and which AIs don’t have them

I also valued the fact that ChatGPT could evaluate the responses and give me feedback. You can also tell it to point out when you’re rambling, confirm how you’re doing in terms of staying on topic, and help you practice answering questions concisely.

5. Hands-free assistant for everyday tasks

This works well once you open and unlock your phone. If you’re commuting, cooking, or doing something with your hands like packing for travel or cleaning up a workbench, you can talk to ChatGPT, and it can both record and respond.

The example that comes to mind for my lifestyle is making a shopping list. My wife and I eat pretty much the same foods every week, with a few minor exceptions. So we could easily feed the full list of all our foods into ChatGPT. Then, with the phone in my pocket and my AirPods in my ears, I can have it walk me through the fridge, the big freezer, and our cabinets, identifying whether we still have enough of a given item or need more.

For example, I could say, “I’m at the freezer, what should I check?” It might say, “Let me know how many bags of frozen broccoli you still have.” I might reply, “We have 3.” And it could say, “I’ll add seven bags to the list.”

Also: I’m a ChatGPT power user: Here are 7 useful settings that are turned off by default

Once the process is done, I could have it construct a list of what we need, which would become our very accurate shopping list.

What hands-free tasks might ChatGPT help you with? Let me know below.

6. Real-time copy editor for messages you’re about to send

I tend to like to compose and send my own email messages and texts. But the hands-free dictation feature of ChatGPT Voice Mode has its appeal.

For example, you can dictate a message in more of a brainstorming mode, and then ask ChatGPT to clean it up so you can cut and paste it into an email. Or you could give it a prompt like, “I’m going to dictate a text to my friend. Rewrite it to sound warm and clear. I don’t want to sound dramatic.”

Also: People are using ChatGPT to write their text messages – here’s how you can tell

That last prompt was provided by OpenAI. Could there be some juicy backstory about drama? Nah, I don’t want to know. Just use this feature to clean up rambling for some quick cuts and pastes.

7. Ask questions about images in real time

This is a feature only available to paid tiers of ChatGPT. It also differs in flavor depending on whether you’re using it on your desktop in your browser, or using the mobile app.

When in desktop mode, it’s possible to feed in a screenshot or a photo, and have the AI tell you about it. I often feed screenshots into ChatGPT. This was my first time trying it in Voice Mode.

I found it particularly helpful with forms because I could screenshot the form, feed that into ChatGPT, and let Voice Mode run in a background tab. Then, with the form in the foreground tab, I could talk to the AI and have it help me with what should be put into each field.

Also: ChatGPT’s new Lockdown Mode can stop prompt injection – here’s how it works

In mobile mode, you can use existing photos that are already on your phone or take photos of locations, signs, plates of food, contents of your fridge, or anything else you might want to know more about, and have Voice Mode help you out with the contents. One great example takes us back to translation: you can snap a picture of a sign that’s in another language and get a translation back from ChatGPT.

Bonus: Exercise buddy

OpenAI didn’t suggest this, but I just tried it out, and it’s pretty cool. You can use ChatGPT Voice Mode as an exercise buddy to help you keep track of reps, remind you what to do next, and to encourage you to continue.

I tried it with weights. I prompted it, “Okay, I’m at ten reps. What’s next?” to which I got a response back, “You need to do five more of this exercise, and then switch to side lateral raises. You’re doing great. Keep it up.”

I don’t normally like my AIs sucking up to me or encouraging me, but when it comes to exercising, I’ll take all the help I can get.

Voice Mode feels different

Using Voice Mode as a productivity helper is a bit of an odd experience. It is exactly the same ChatGPT experience you have when typing in text. But because you’re talking, it really does kind of feel like a conversation.

I found that there was more depth (and more meandering) to the input I provided to the AI when using Voice Mode than there was when I was typing, so my prompts were substantially more loquacious.

Also: How I bring my child’s art to life with ChatGPT, Gemini, and Sora – and you can too

The tone of voice that the AI uses tends to lead to a feeling of colleague-like communication compared to just reading a chat response on the screen. The feeling of the conversation is much more connected. I’m not sure whether that’s good or bad, but it is an interesting experience.

As I said in my previous article, I feel like I am still sacrificing precision for conversation fluidity. But if you use Voice Mode for work that benefits from conversational fluidity, it works surprisingly well.

Until it doesn’t.

Unclear limits

I am using the $20-per-month ChatGPT Plus plan. About 30 minutes into my conversation exploring Voice Mode, I got this message.

There are two issues here: how much time is allowed, and what’s the difference between Advanced and Standard Voice Mode?

CNET has an explainer that describes both modes. According to the article, “In standard mode, the AI creates its response in text first and then a separate voice tool reads the text aloud. While the voice may sound decent, it can feel unnatural and often delayed. A unified model like advanced voice doesn’t separate writing and speaking.” 

The more advanced mode adjusts its tone so it sounds more natural. You can tell you’re using Advanced Mode because the voice indicator is a blue circle. Standard mode shows a black circle.

Unfortunately, when it comes to limits you might encounter, OpenAI’s Voice Mode FAQ isn’t particularly helpful. I don’t think it’s up to date. It talks about limits to GPT-4o, but GPT-4o was retired earlier this month.

In any case, here’s what OpenAI says about limits:

• Free (logged-in) users: Voice runs on GPT-4o mini and is limited to a set number of hours per day.
• Plus subscribers: Voice starts with GPT-4o and is nearly unlimited daily; after GPT-4o minutes are used, it continues with GPT-4o mini.
• Pro subscribers: Unlimited GPT-4o voice use, subject to abuse guardrails.
• Enterprise: Unlimited GPT-4o voice use, billed according to credit consumption.

With my Plus plan, I hit a wall about 30 minutes in. Since I’m testing for quality, I decided to skip downgrading to the Standard mode.

Also: Want better ChatGPT responses? Try this surprising trick, researchers say

I encourage OpenAI to update its FAQ documents with the right model names and more tangibly understandable limit information.

What about you?

Have you tried ChatGPT’s Voice Mode as a productivity tool, or do you mostly stick to typing? Do you see yourself using it more for organizing your thoughts, brainstorming ideas, live interview prep, translation, or hands-free tasks?

Also: Is an AI subscription worth it? How to choose your premium chatbot plan – and what not to do

Have you run into usage limits? Did usage limits change how you use it? Does Voice Mode feel more conversational and helpful to you, or less precise? What other productivity tasks do you recommend using voice mode for? Let us know in the comments below.