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OpenAI is working to improve its coding tools to compete with rivals such as Anthropic’s Claude, and a new feature makes it easier to use Codex on the move.
Codex is now available through the ChatGPT mobile app for Android and iOS, although you won’t be able to program anything directly on your device. Instead, it’s used as a remote control for any coding environments, such as a dedicated home computer or your laptop.
“From your phone, you can work across all of your threads, review outputs, approve commands, change models, or start something new,” OpenAI says. As it connects to your main environment, it will have access to all files, credentials, and other settings you have configured, making it easier to make changes.
These new mobile app features let you switch what your computer is doing even when you're away, with OpenAI sharing examples of how you can keep your system running while you're on a commute or running errands out of the house. If Codex completes a task or needs prompting on what to do next, you no longer have to wait until you return for it to restart work.
You’ll find this new option in the latest version of the ChatGPT mobile app, but OpenAI says this is a “preview,” suggesting there may be future changes to the feature. It's available across plans, including free versions of ChatGPT. Over 4 million people use its Codex tools every week, according to OpenAI.
OpenAI recently told all Mac users to update their apps, including ChatGPT and Codex, after a software supply chain attack compromised several employee devices. It happened through open-source software called Tanstack, with an attacker publishing 84 malicious versions on Monday. Security researchers spotted the software and removed the files within 20 minutes of upload.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, PCMag's parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.