OpenAI has made a decision that will disappoint users in the Apple ecosystem. One of the most popular features in the company’s desktop application for Mac computers, the ChatGPT macOS voice feature (Voice Mode), is being discontinued very soon. The latest update notes reveal the exact date for this farewell.

Pulling the plug on January 15, 2026

In a warning added to the application’s release notes, OpenAI announced that the voice chat experience in the macOS desktop application will be retired on January 15, 2026. From this date onwards, Mac users will no longer be able to have voice chats with artificial intelligence through the application.

Why is it being removed? The company stated that the reason behind this decision is to “focus on more unified and advanced voice experiences.” According to rumors circulating in the tech world, OpenAI is completely revamping its voice assistant infrastructure. It is speculated that the voice mode in the current macOS application is not compatible with the company’s next-generation voice architecture and is therefore being temporarily shelved (or until a new version is released).

While this is bad news for Mac users, the feature will continue to exist on other platforms. OpenAI has stated that the voice functionality in the web (chatgpt.com), iOS, Android, and Windows applications will not be affected by this decision and will continue to work.

In an era where voice UIs are seen as the future of artificial intelligence, it’s surprising that the Mac application is losing this capability. However, experts believe this could be a harbinger of upcoming new hardware or a new voice assistant with GPT-5 integration.

So, did you use ChatGPT for voice communication on your Mac? Do you feel its absence now that it’s been removed? Share your thoughts in the comments!