ChatGPT launches beta group chats across Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan

OpenAI on Thursday introduced ChatGPT’s group chat feature. The feature, which is currently being tested in select regions including Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan, allows users to collaborate directly within the app.

Group chat is available for Free, Plus, and Team users on both mobile and web platforms. OpenAI says the pilot is designed to explore how people use group conversations in ChatGPT.

This announcement comes after previous reports that OpenAI was testing a direct messaging tool.

The maker of ChatGPT describes this beta as just a “small first step” toward creating a more “shared experience” in the app. Early adopters will be invited to provide feedback, which the company says will help shape how the feature is eventually expanded to more regions and offerings.

According to OpenAI, private chats and personal ChatGPT memory remain completely private. Group chats are invite-only, and members can leave at any time. Most participants can remove others, although the group creator can only leave voluntarily. For users under 18, content is filtered, with additional safeguards and parental controls in place.

Starting a group chat is easy. Simply tap the People icon and add participants, either directly or by sharing a link. Groups can include from 1 to 20 people. If you add someone to an existing chat, a new group will be created, leaving the original conversation untouched. Each group has a short profile, and all chats are organized in a labeled sidebar for easy access.

Group chats work just like regular ChatGPT chats but with multiple people joining. GPT‑5.1 automatically handles responses and comes loaded with features like searching, image creation, file uploading, and dictation. In group chats, ChatGPT usage caps — which restrict the number of AI responses users can receive per hour — are only counted when ChatGPT responds. Messages between human participants do not count toward these limits.

ChatGPT has learned new social skills for group chats, knowing when to intervene and when to remain quiet. You can mark “ChatGPT” to make it respond. It can also interact with emojis and use profile pictures to create custom chat photos.

The group chat feature represents the latest step in OpenAI’s gradual transformation from a simple AI assistant into something resembling a social platform. In late September, the company launched Sora 2, a standalone social media app with a TikTok-style feed for sharing AI-generated videos, with algorithmic recommendations based on user activity and location, parental controls, and direct messaging capabilities.