ChatGPT launches group chats globally

ChatGPT launches group chats worldwide for all users with Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans, OpenAI announced on Thursday. The move comes a week after the company began testing the feature in select regions including Japan and New Zealand.

This feature allows users to collaborate with each other and with ChatGPT in one shared conversation. OpenAI says the launch transforms ChatGPT from a one-on-one assistant into a space where friends, family or colleagues can work together to plan, create and make decisions.

The company sees group chats in ChatGPT as a way for people to coordinate travel, write documents together, settle debates or conduct research together, while ChatGPT helps search, summarize and compare options.

Up to 20 people can join a group chat, as long as they have accepted an invitation. Personal settings and memory remain private to each user, the company says.

To start a group chat, users must tap the people icon and add participants, either directly or by sharing a link. Everyone is asked to create a short profile with their name, username and photo.

It’s worth noting that adding someone to an existing chat creates a new conversation, leaving the original chat unchanged.

OpenAI says ChatGPT knows when to intervene and when to remain silent during a group conversation. Users can tag “ChatGPT” to make it responsive. Additionally, ChatGPT can respond to messages with emojis and reference profile photos.

This move marks OpenAI’s latest move to transform ChatGPT from a simple chatbot into a more social platform. OpenAI says group chats are just the beginning of ChatGPT becoming a collaborative environment, and not just a single-player experience.

“Over time, we see ChatGPT taking a more active role in real group conversations, helping people plan, create, and take action together,” the company wrote in an email to TechCrunch.

Thursday’s announcement comes less than two weeks after the launch of GPT‑5.1with both Instant and Thinking versions of the model. In September, OpenAI launched a social app called Sora, where users can generate videos of themselves and their friends to share on a TikTok-style algorithmic feed.