OpenAI is rolling out a series of updates to ChatGPT aimed at enhancing user experience in search, shopping, and accessing reliable information. These changes are designed to make interactions more informative and intuitive, especially as the platform’s built-in search tool has now surpassed 1 billion web searches in a single week.
One of the most notable additions is the improvement in shopping capabilities. OpenAI is currently experimenting with a streamlined shopping experience inside ChatGPT. The feature now helps users discover, compare, and purchase products with greater ease. Product listings are more detailed and visually rich, offering images, pricing, and customer reviews. Each item also includes direct purchase links. Importantly, OpenAI emphasizes that these listings are independently selected and not paid advertisements.
ChatGPT’s search functionality has also been made quicker and smarter with trending topic suggestions and autocomplete tools. These updates help users discover relevant information more efficiently while typing.
ChatGPT is also becoming more accessible with new support for WhatsApp. Users can now message +1-800-242-8478 (1-800-ChatGPT) to interact with the assistant directly through WhatsApp. This feature allows access to real-time updates, such as live sports scores, making the assistant more convenient and mobile-friendly.
In terms of research and factual accuracy, OpenAI has enhanced the way citations appear in ChatGPT responses. Users will now see multiple sources cited within a single reply, and each citation is linked to the specific part of the text it supports. A new highlight feature improves clarity by connecting cited information directly to its source.
All these updates are gradually rolling out to Plus, Pro, Free, and even logged-out users worldwide. The new shopping and citation features should be fully available in the coming days, while WhatsApp search is now live across all supported regions.
