When I’m sitting in front of my PC and want to use an AI chatbot, I usually search the internet for a service like ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot. But if I have my trusty iPhone handy, I can chat with an AI more conveniently through a mobile app. There are several AI chat apps available for iOS users, but the ones I like the most are ChatGPT by OpenAI, Microsoft Copilot, and ChatOn.
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These mobile apps are sometimes powered by ChatGPT and sometimes by their own models and work as expected: send a question or request and the AI provides information or generates content. However, some apps offer additional benefits, such as sending a request by voice and syncing your chat history.
Here are my favorites.
1. ChatGPT
OpenAI offers an official and free iOS app for its ChatGPT AI. ChatGPT is available on the App Store and works similarly to the website. You can ask the AI to analyze a photo or other file, have it read a response, and generate images. The mobile app also lets you speak your question or request out loud.
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The app allows ChatGPT Plus users to switch the model between GPT-4, GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini before sending a request and at the end of a response. ChatGPT free tier users use GPT-4o by default.
First, type your question or request into the prompt and then submit it. Alternatively, you can speak instead of typing the question. Tap the audio icon to the right of the prompt. Dictate your request, then tap the blue check mark to stop recording. Once your words have been converted to text, tap the arrow to submit.
To ask ChatGPT to analyze a file, tap the plus icon in front of the prompt. Tap the first icon to take a new photo to analyze. You can take a picture of any scene, even one with text. Tap the second icon to ask for an existing photo in your library. Tap the third icon to upload a PDF or other type. You can then ask ChatGPT to analyze the file or answer questions.
To start a new chat, tap the New Chat icon in the top right. After sending another request, press the reply. From the menu, you can copy the reply to paste it elsewhere, select all or part of the text in the reply, regenerate the reply to get a new one and have it read out. You can also share your opinion on the reply by giving it a thumbs up or down.
Every conversation with ChatGPT through the website and mobile app is synced and saved in your history. To access a past chat, tap the double-line icon in the top left. Tap the chat you want to view and you can continue the conversation where you left off.
Finally, tap the two-line icon, then tap the ellipsis to the right of your name. The settings screen allows you to view and change your email address, subscription, and other items. You can also personalize ChatGPT to improve replies, archive or delete your chats, view archived chats, and change the app’s language and color scheme.
2. Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft’s Copilot app offers traditional search and an AI chatbot and is powered by GPT-4 Turbo through a partnership with OpenAI.
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Download the app from the App Store and launch it. When prompted, select a conversation style to control responses – “More Creative,” “More Balanced,” or “More Precise.” Free Copilot users can also switch between GPT-4 Turbo and an older model.
The app allows you to speak your request, upload a photo for analysis, share the answer and have it read out. First, type your request if you want, otherwise tap the microphone icon and speak it out, then tap the arrow button to send your request and wait for the response.
To start a new chat, tap the blue icon in the bottom left. Next, you can ask Copilot to analyze or answer questions about an uploaded image. Tap the camera icon to the right of the prompt. On the camera screen, tap the library icon to access an existing photo, or tap the shutter button to take a new photo. At the prompt, enter a request about the image and Copilot will respond.
You can also tell Copilot to create an image. When prompted, tell it to create the type of image you want. In response, the AI will create four images and display them. Tap the image you want and you can edit, download, copy, or share it.
Each answer displays a small toolbar with icons for different options. Tap the thumbs up if you like the answer, or the thumbs down if you don’t like it. Tap the copy icon to copy the answer and paste it somewhere else. Tap the share icon to share the answer with another person or service. Tap the speaker icon to hear it read aloud.
In any conversation, tap the ellipsis icon in the top right corner. From the menu, you can rename, share, or delete the chat.
To access your chat history on the Bing mobile apps and website, tap the hamburger icon with three lines in the top left. Select a specific chat to retrieve it and continue the conversation.
3. ChatOn
Powered by GPT-4o and Anthropic’s Claude and Stable Difusion API, ChatOn is available in a free version with limited chats and replies, and a paid version for $40 per year that offers unlimited chats and longer, more detailed replies.
The app offers a number of cool features, including YouTube video summaries, PDF summaries, web page summaries, photo analysis, image generation, and web searches, but some of these features are only available with a paid subscription.
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Enter your request directly into the command prompt. Alternatively, you can press the microphone icon and speak your request.
Need inspiration or suggestions for requests? Swipe down on the chat screen to see and complete sample tasks and questions. To try out ChatOn’s content creation features, tap the Tasks for AI icon at the bottom. Swipe down on the screen to see topics and questions where you can have a back-and-forth chat with the app to create the content you want.
Next, you can tell ChatOn to scan an image with text to insert that text into your prompt. Tap the New Chat icon in the top right to start a new conversation. Tap the Scan icon to the right of the prompt and select Open Camera to take a new photo or Go to Photos to select an image from your library. After the image appears, tap the Recognize button to tell the app to scan the text. That text will then appear in the prompt for you to revise and submit.
Next, you can ask ChatOn to create an image. When prompted, describe the image you want to create. In response, the app will provide a single image that you can download to your photo library and share with someone else.
The premium version of ChatOn allows you to upload a PDF or other supported text file for analysis, paste a URL to summarize or translate a web page, perform a web search, and link to a YouTube video for analysis. To do each of these tasks, go to the Premium Features section on the chat page and tap the request you want to use.
Tap the history icon at the bottom to access your previous conversations. Select a specific conversation if you want to pick up where you left off.
The premium version of ChatOn not only offers unlimited chats and longer replies, but also allows you to set up an AI-powered keyboard that can assist you while writing or revising content.
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After enabling the keyboard, open any app that allows you to write text. Tap the globe icon below the keyboard and switch to ChatOn. Tap “Write” and enter a goal or topic. ChatOn will then generate the text. Alternatively, you can write a content and tap “Refine” and the app will then revise the text.
