Discovering a Major Issue in the New ChatGPT iPhone App

Unexpectedly, this week witnessed the official launch of the ChatGPT iOS app by OpenAI. This remarkable app, available for iPhones and iPads, provides a remarkably simplified and user-friendly method to engage with the widely popular AI chatbot. Gone are the days of grappling with the mobile website or experimenting with unreliable third-party apps. With the official ChatGPT app readily downloadable, you're all set to dive in.

This release marks a significant stride in making ChatGPT universally accessible and placing it in the hands of a broader audience. Naturally, I was intrigued to give it a try myself. I've been interacting with the ChatGPT iPhone app, posing various questions to the chatbot. While the overall experience aligns with expectations, a notable issue has emerged that makes me hesitant to continue using the app.

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The Core Constraint of the ChatGPT iPhone App

Much like its desktop counterpart, the ChatGPT iPhone app lacks access to real-time information. Inquiring about current events or recent occurrences from the past couple of years yields a message stating, “As an AI language model, I don’t have real-time information or access to the internet beyond my September 2021 knowledge cutoff.”

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Although this limitation has been a recognized aspect of ChatGPT since its inception, the landscape is now populated with competing apps like Google Bard and Microsoft's Bing Chat that indeed offer internet access—having done so for a while. Reverting to ChatGPT after experiencing these alternatives and confronting this restriction rapidly dampens the initial enthusiasm.

ChatGPT (left) vs. Perplexity AI

While OpenAI provides internet access via the $20/month ChatGPT Plus subscription, and iPhone app users can access ChatGPT Plus features like GPT-4, current indications suggest that the current version of the app does not support internet access or browsing.

In essence, even if you're a ChatGPT Plus subscriber, obtaining real-time and up-to-date responses about contemporary subjects remains unattainable. This situation might evolve down the line, yet it undoubtedly shapes an unfavorable initial impression—especially when rival iPhone chatbot apps already offer this feature for free.

Utilizing an AI chatbot to navigate the web aligns with my personal preference, a facet that the official ChatGPT iPhone app fails to accommodate. However, options like Bing Chat, Google Bard, and third-party iPhone ChatGPT apps such as Perplexity AI successfully fill this void.

Beyond the Absence of Internet Access

While the absence of internet access stands as the foremost drawback of the ChatGPT iPhone app, it's not the solitary concern. Even when inquiring about basic and less time-sensitive matters, some of ChatGPT's responses lack vibrancy.

Consider, for instance, the above query. I posed a question to ChatGPT about the shelf life of canned tomatoes, and it furnished me with extensive paragraphs brimming with detailed insights. Yet, querying the same topic to Perplexity AI yielded a much more visually appealing response, neatly organized with well-structured bullet points. This format facilitates digestion and exudes a more organic feel, in stark contrast to the dense text that ChatGPT presented. While certain scenarios favored ChatGPT's answers over Perplexity AI's, on the whole, I incline toward Perplexity's approach.

ChatGPT (left) vs. Perplexity AI (right)

Another shortcoming of the ChatGPT iPhone app involves its inability to attribute the sources from which it derives answers. The ChatGPT app endeavors to answer your queries to the best of its ability, yet it lacks transparency regarding the sources it draws upon.

In contrast, Bing Chat, Google Bard, Perplexity AI, and other apps excel in this regard. Perplexity AI, for instance, adorns its answers with in-text links to the relevant sources, complemented by a comprehensive source breakdown at each response's conclusion. Given that every AI chatbot is susceptible to errors, having insight into the origins of correct or erroneous answers proves immensely beneficial.

Embracing a Plenitude of Choices

To the ChatGPT app's credit, AI chatbots serve multifaceted roles, extending beyond being search engines with internet access. However, as someone who favors this mode of interaction, the current iteration of the ChatGPT iPhone app leaves much to be desired. Granted, the experience surpasses the inconvenience of resorting to Safari and the mobile site. Still, substantial refinement remains imperative.

Yet, therein lies the charm of the contemporary AI chatbot landscape. If the allure of a chatbot endowed with free and straightforward internet access captivates you, options like Bing Chat, Google Bard, and Perplexity AI remain steadfast. For those loyal to ChatGPT, an enhanced method of wielding it on iPhones and iPads is now at your disposal.

Although a prompt return to the ChatGPT iPhone app might not be on my horizon, if internet access isn't a prerequisite and you seek a streamlined approach to embracing ChatGPT on your device, this app offers an optimal solution.

You can access the ChatGPT app on the App Store now.

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