OpenAI is working to build a ChatGPT as default digital assistant for Android phones. OpenAI may launch ChatGPT as a digital assistant for Android phones soon. It might also replace Google Assistant, as developers working on ChatGPT’s Android app are working to set ChatGPT as the default assistant for Android.

Assistants help a user do a variety of things, such as calling someone, sending messages, sending emails, scheduling calendar events, etc. Google Assistant is one of the primary voice assistants, and many smartphones come with Google Assistant as the default assistant when it comes to Android. There are many third-party assistants available for Android, such as Amazon Alexa, Baidu, etc. Users can simply switch their default voice assistant from Google Assistant to any third-party assistant they wish to.

Evidence Confirming ChatGPT as Default Digital Assistant

According to the report by Android Authority, the current, latest version of ChatGPT (version 1.2023.352) consists of some codes, which include a new activity named “com.openai.voice.assistant.AssistantActivity,” which is not enabled by default. After enabling the activity manually, an overlay appears on the screen, which looks the same as the in-app voice chat mode. The overlay appears over other apps and doesn’t take up the entire screen, just like how Google Assistant appears.

It is also mentioned in the report that the app keeps on crashing before speaking to the chatbot, which shows the feature is under development and isn’t fully functional yet.

The report also mentions that the latest version of the ChatGPT app also contains an XML file called “assistant_interaction_service” that contains a voice-interaction-service tag defining the sessionService and recognitionService. These service tags in the ChatGPT app hint at the intent for the app to become a default digital assistant.

OpenAI’s Challenges in Making ChatGPT as Default Digital Assistant

Although the hints point to ChatGPT becoming the next digital assistant, it may face some challenges to replace the Google Assistant. The features of ChatGPT are still under development. Moreover, Google doesn’t allow any third-party app to use Hotwords. For example, you can launch Google Assistant just by using the “Hey Google” hotword on an Android device, but with ChatGPT digital assistant, you won’t be able to use any hotword. However, OpenAI is working on a ChatGPT quick tile that will allow users to launch the app from the quick settings panel. Also, Google might launch “Assistant with Bard” anytime soon. So, it will be interesting to see how OpenAI manages to compete with Google with their digital assistant.

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