OpenAI brings Codex to mobile

OpenAI said on May 14 that it had added Codex to the ChatGPT mobile app, giving developers a way to monitor and approve coding work from iPhones and Android devices while the agent runs on another machine. The company said the feature is in preview and is rolling out on iOS and Android in supported regions. OpenAI described the mobile version as a way to review outputs, steer execution and approve next steps without moving the coding environment itself onto the phone. The underlying files, credentials and permissions remain on the connected laptop, Mac mini or remote devbox, the company said. ### What exactly did OpenAI put into the mobile app? Codex in the ChatGPT mobile app lets users connect to machines where Codex is already running and load the live state from that environment, according to OpenAI’s product post. From the phone, users can work across active threads, review outputs, approve commands, change models or start new tasks, the company said. (openai.com) OpenAI said the phone app receives screenshots, terminal output, diffs, test results and approval requests in real time. The company said that setup is meant to let users answer questions or redirect work while away from a desk, rather than remotely taking over a single session in the style of a general-purpose remote desktop app. ### Does the coding agent run on the phone? (openai.com) OpenAI said Codex continues running on the connected machine, not on the handset itself. The company said users can connect the ChatGPT app to a laptop, a dedicated Mac mini or a managed remote environment, and the phone acts as a control surface for ongoing work. The Codex changelog says the May 14 update supports connecting the mobile app to a Mac running the Codex app. (openai.com) A forum post from OpenAI said support for connecting a phone to the Codex app on Windows is “coming soon.” ### Why does the approval step matter here? OpenAI said the mobile workflow is built around “review outputs, steer execution, and approve next steps.” In the product post, the company said developers may need to answer a question, review what Codex found, change direction or approve what comes next while longer-running tasks continue. (openai.com) (developers.openai.com) That design keeps a human checkpoint in the loop. OpenAI did not describe the feature as handing full autonomy to the agent; instead, it said files, credentials, permissions and local setup stay on the machine where Codex is operating. ### How broadly is Codex being used inside ChatGPT? OpenAI said more than 4 million people now use Codex every week. (openai.com) The company tied the mobile release to that usage figure, saying it had seen how “small moments” such as quick check-ins can keep a work thread moving and reduce unnecessary rework. OpenAI’s help documentation says Codex is included with ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise/Edu plans. (openai.com) An earlier OpenAI post said Codex became available to Plus users on June 3, 2025, after first launching for Pro, Business and Enterprise users on May 16, 2025. ### Where did OpenAI announce the rollout? OpenAI published the release on its product site under the headline “Work with Codex from anywhere” on May 14. (openai.com) The company also posted a matching announcement in its developer community forum saying the preview was rolling out that day on iOS and Android in all supported regions. OpenAI’s developer changelog added a related entry on May 11 for mobile documentation covering setup steps, connected-host behavior, security requirements and troubleshooting. (help.openai.com) The next named step in the rollout is Windows support for connecting phones to the Codex app, which OpenAI said is still ahead. (developers.openai.com) (openai.com)