OpenAI brings Codex to mobile

OpenAI said on May 14 that it has added Codex to the ChatGPT mobile app, giving users a way to monitor, steer and approve coding work from iPhones and Android devices while tasks continue running on connected machines. The company described the feature as a preview rollout in supported regions. OpenAI said the mobile experience works with active threads, approvals, plugins and project context already running on a laptop, Mac mini or managed remote environment. The company said updates sent back to the phone can include screenshots, terminal output, diffs and test results. ### What exactly did OpenAI ship to phones? OpenAI’s May 14 product post said Codex is “coming to your phone” in the ChatGPT mobile app, with controls to stay in the loop while coding work runs elsewhere. The company said users can review outputs, approve commands, change models and start new work from the app rather than remotely controlling only a single task. (openai.com) The OpenAI developer community announcement published the same day said the preview was rolling out on iOS and Android in all supported regions. That post said users could “start new work, review outputs, steer execution, and approve next steps” from the ChatGPT mobile app while Codex keeps running on a laptop, Mac mini or devbox. (openai.com) ### How does the phone connect to coding work already in progress? OpenAI’s documentation said the mobile app loads the live state from the machine where Codex is operating, rather than moving files and credentials onto the phone. The company said files, permissions, credentials and local setup remain on the host machine while status updates flow back to the mobile app in real time. (community.openai.com) The remote-connections documentation said mobile access currently requires a Mac host that is awake, online, running the Codex app and signed in to the same account and workspace. OpenAI also said users who do not see Codex in the app should update ChatGPT first. ### Who can use it? OpenAI’s Help Center said Codex is included with ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise/Edu plans. (openai.com) A separate ChatGPT release-notes entry said Codex in the mobile app is rolling out on iOS and Android across all plans, including Free and Go, in supported regions. OpenAI’s public materials do not fully reconcile those two descriptions, but both pages say availability depends on region and rollout status. (developers.openai.com) OpenAI’s product page for Codex describes it as an AI coding partner for planning, building, refactoring and reviews across tools. The company said in a May 2025 launch post that Codex was introduced as a cloud-based software engineering agent and later expanded to more ChatGPT users. ### Why is OpenAI emphasizing approvals and check-ins? OpenAI said “as agents take on longer-running work, a new rhythm for collaboration is emerging,” and said users need to be able to answer questions, review findings, change direction and approve next steps without returning to a desk. (help.openai.com) The company said “a quick check-in can keep a thread moving” and reduce unnecessary rework. (openai.com) The same post said more than 4 million people now use Codex every week. OpenAI framed the mobile release around those small approval moments, saying they matter when work is spread across laptops, devboxes and remote environments. ### What comes next? OpenAI’s community post said support for connecting a phone to the Codex app on Windows is “coming soon.” The company’s newsroom also listed a May 13 engineering post about building a sandbox to enable Codex on Windows, a sign that the Windows path is an active part of the rollout. (openai.com) OpenAI’s release notes said users who want to try the feature should update both the ChatGPT mobile app and the Codex app on macOS. (openai.com) The company’s setup documentation for remote connections remains the main reference for current requirements while the preview expands. (help.openai.com) (community.openai.com)