ChatGPT introduces ‘Work With Apps’ beta for macOS users

OpenAI recently announced a series of upgrades to their desktop apps for Windows and macOS. One significant update is that the apps have become available to free users, although this feature is still rolling out gradually to Microsoft Stores. Alongside this, the macOS application received a major enhancement.

A key feature introduced is called Work With Apps, which is currently in beta. This feature can be toggled on or off in the settings, where users can also control which apps ChatGPT is allowed to work with. It enables ChatGPT to connect to certain apps, understand the context of their main window, and assist based on what is displayed. This capability is currently targeting terminal apps and code editors, such as Xcode, VS Code, the Basic Terminal app, and iTerm2. Additionally, users can open multiple windows in split view, and ChatGPT will be able to interpret all of them.

For VS Code, there is a dedicated extension that provides ChatGPT with additional capabilities. With this extension, users can select a piece of code, allowing ChatGPT to analyze the selected part directly. OpenAI employees have confirmed that they plan to expand the feature set by adding support for more apps and enabling direct writing power in the future. For example, in VS Code, ChatGPT might eventually edit the code directly in the editor, rather than just offering suggestions. Although this feature is not yet available, it is confirmed to be in development.

In the main prompt area, users can select the app they want ChatGPT to work with. Once selected, the app appears at the top of the interface, ensuring users can always see which app is currently active for context-aware assistance. This feature could be particularly useful for those working with multiple screens, as ChatGPT acts as a co-pilot for navigating complex workflows.

Unfortunately, voice mode is not yet supported for discussing code. There is, however, an option to open a companion window to enable voice conversations in the same session.

These updates highlight OpenAI’s efforts to integrate ChatGPT more deeply into users’ workflows, particularly for developers and technical users. The new features are still evolving, with exciting possibilities planned for future releases.