OpenAI brings Codex coding tool to iOS and Android

OpenAI has integrated its Codex coding tool into the ChatGPT application for iOS and Android, enabling users to monitor and manage development workflows remotely. The update, currently in a preview phase, allows users to view live environments, review outputs, approve commands, and change models directly from their mobile devices. This release is accessible across all subscription plans, including free and Go tiers, on both iOS and Android.

The company stated that the mobile update offers more than just remote task control. Users can work across all threads, review outputs, approve commands, change models, and initiate new tasks from their phones. To utilise the new integration, users must update the ChatGPT app on their mobile devices and the Codex app on their Macs.

This move follows recent updates allowing Codex to run in the background on desktops and work within live browser sessions via a Chrome extension. A recent major update also expanded Codex’s capabilities to operate applications on macOS. These developments align with OpenAI’s broader ambition to establish a desktop superapp ecosystem, consolidating its tools into a unified interface.

The release intensifies competition with Anthropic, which recently launched a similar remote control feature for its Claude Code tool. Anthropic released its Remote Control feature in February, allowing users to monitor work remotely. Over the past year, Anthropic’s Claude Code has gained significant popularity among businesses and tech professionals, although both tools continue to be widely used.

Support for connecting the Windows application is scheduled for release soon, although a specific timeline has not been defined. The acceleration of these features appears to be a direct response to the surge in popularity of Anthropic’s Claude Code, highlighting the tense competition between the two firms over whose agentic coding tool will become the most widely used.