How do you use ChatGPT group chats?

A ChatGPT group chat is a shared conversation in which several people and ChatGPT talk in the same thread. Instead of one person relaying ChatGPT's suggestions to a family group text, everyone sees the same answers, adds their own opinions, and asks follow-up questions directly.

OpenAI started piloting group chats on November 13 in four places (Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan) for logged-in users on the Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans, on the web and in the mobile apps. The company said it would use feedback from the pilot to decide how to expand to more regions and plans, so if you don't see the option yet, check again after app updates.

Starting a group

1. Open a new chat, or an existing one, and tap the people icon at the top right of the screen.
2. If you start from an existing chat, ChatGPT makes a copy of it as the group chat. Your original private conversation stays as it was.
3. Share the invite link with between one and twenty people. Anyone in the group can pass the link on, so share it only where you would be comfortable with it being forwarded.
4. The first time you create or join a group, you set up a short profile: a name, a username and a photo.

Group chats appear in their own labeled section of the sidebar. Tapping the participants' icons lets you name the group, add or remove people, and mute notifications.

How ChatGPT behaves in a group

ChatGPT follows the conversation and decides for itself when to speak and when to stay quiet. When you want an answer, include the word "ChatGPT" in your message. It can also react with emojis, and if asked, use members' profile photos in images it creates for the group.

Replies come from GPT-5.1 Auto, which picks a model based on the request and on the plan of the person ChatGPT is answering. Web search, file and image uploads, image generation and dictation all work. Usage limits count only ChatGPT's replies, charged to the person it is responding to; messages between people don't count.

Each group can have its own custom instructions, which tell ChatGPT the group's purpose and the tone you want.

A worked example: planning a weekend trip

Four friends are planning a weekend away together. One of them starts a group chat and sets these custom instructions:

This group is four friends planning a 2-night trip in early December,
leaving Friday after work. Budget: about $250 per person, not counting
travel. Two of us don't drive. One is vegetarian. When we ask for options,
give no more than three, each with a one-line reason and a rough cost.
Keep replies short; we read them on our phones.

Then the conversation might run like this. The replies are described in summary and are illustrative.

• Maya: "ChatGPT, suggest three destinations within two hours by train from the city."
• ChatGPT lists three towns with a line on each and a rough cost.
• Jon and Priya argue for different towns. ChatGPT stays out of it.
• Sam: "ChatGPT, compare the top two for vegetarian food and things to do if it rains."
• ChatGPT gives a short comparison; the group votes with emoji reactions.
• Maya: "ChatGPT, make a shared packing list and a two-day plan for the winner."

Because everyone sees the same plan, there is no forwarding and no "which version is current?" confusion. Prices and train times still need checking on the operators' own sites before anyone books.

What can others in the group see?

Everything posted in the group is visible to every member: each person's messages, any files and images uploaded, and all of ChatGPT's replies, including images it makes. Members can also see who is in the group, with each person's profile name, username and photo. Treat it like any group chat: don't share anything you would not want every member, and anyone they invite, to read.

What they cannot see is your private ChatGPT life. OpenAI says group chats are kept separate from your personal conversations, your personal memory is not used in them, and nothing said in a group is added to anyone's memory. One caution follows from the copy feature: if you turn an existing chat into a group, the group starts from a copy of that conversation, so read it first and start fresh if it contains anything private.

You also keep control of membership. Nobody joins without accepting an invitation, and anyone can leave at any time. Members can remove other participants, except the group's creator, who can leave but cannot be removed. If anyone under 18 is in the group, ChatGPT reduces sensitive content for everyone, and parents can use parental controls to switch the feature off completely.