OpenAI now lets you text your Dot agent

The feature works with both iMessage and RCS messaging.

When OpenAI debuted its Dot agents late last month, it promised users would eventually be able to text them to give them instructions. Now, nearly a month later, the company has begun rolling out a preview among US Pro users that allows you to do just that. With the new feature, OpenAI says you can send your Dot texts, photos and even voice memos. It also gives your Dot another avenue to proactively contact you with updates about tasks you've assigned to it.

By popular request, you can now text your dot.

Give it a task to take off your plate or something to keep an eye on, using text, photos, or even voice notes. It will text you proactively with relevant updates.

Safe, secure texting via iMessage or RCS. You're the only one who...

To set up your Dot for texting, open its profile in ChatGPT and select Texting. Over on your phone, ensure iMessage is enabled if you're on an iPhone, and RCS if your daily driver is an Android device. OpenAI says it partnered with Linq to provide messaging support, and did "extensive" penetration testing to ensure the feature is safe. "You're the only one who can text your dot, and your dot can only text you," the company adds on X. Any information your Dot writes to its memory is shared across ChatGPT and text, meaning context carries over between different conversations.

The personal agent space is suddenly very hot after Anthropic joined last week with Claude Duet. In my testing, OpenAI's Dots are comparatively more polished. The fact that you can now text them is something I'm sure some people will appreciate. Using Claude Duet currently requires joining a waitlist that's only open to people in the US. Anthropic has said it plans to offer the agent to subscribers of its $20 per month Pro plan, which is not something you can say of Dots. They're currently not available to Plus tier users.