OpenAI Adds Page Previews and Codex Task Links on iOS
The mobile update tightens the handoff between iPhone-based task monitoring and Codex work running against a selected computer and desktop checkout.
Edited by Tyronne Panaino
OpenAI marked a ChatGPT for iOS update generally available on October 7, adding inline page previews in responses and support for opening Codex task links directly on iOS. The change affects people who check or continue Codex work from an iPhone, where a task link can now lead into the mobile experience instead of requiring a separate handoff.
The same official release note groups those additions with a redesigned approval picker, a single Plugins entry in the composer's plus menu and several task-reliability fixes. OpenAI says long threads stream faster with fewer freezes, while new tasks retain the selected computer when that machine reconnects or is offline.
Mobile navigation is the visible change
Inline previews make linked pages visible inside a response, while direct handling for Codex task links reduces the number of steps needed to move from a notification or shared link into a task. OpenAI does not describe a new Codex execution mode for iOS; the supported claim is narrower: the iOS app can open those task links directly.
That distinction matters because the release also refers to a selected computer and to the desktop checkout. The mobile app is therefore part of a cross-device workflow described by OpenAI, not evidence that every task now runs locally on an iPhone.
Approvals, plugins and reconnects get targeted fixes
OpenAI says the approval picker now presents permission choices more clearly. The note does not say that enforcement rules, permission scopes or review requirements changed, so the update should be read as an interface revision rather than a new security guarantee.
Plugin discovery is also consolidated under one Plugins entry in the composer's plus menu. The release note establishes where users can find plugins; it does not establish that existing plan, workspace or administrator entitlements have expanded.
For remote work, the selected computer now remains attached to a new task while the machine reconnects or stays offline. That is a continuity improvement for workflows that depend on a particular computer, although OpenAI provides no recovery-time measurement or availability commitment.
Worktree alignment addresses desktop consistency
The update says worktree support was improved so files and changes match the checkout used on desktop. For developers moving between the iOS view and desktop execution, that is the most consequential reliability detail in the release: the stated goal is consistency between the task's visible files and the checkout where work is actually happening.
Other fixes cover task lists that stayed empty after connection, keyboard transitions when starting tasks or swiping back, status updates that appeared as questions, and manual pairing-code entry with support for pasted formatted codes. These are bounded product changes rather than a new Codex model or coding capability.
What remains unverified
OpenAI's note does not name an iOS app version, a minimum operating-system version, a geographic rollout boundary or a device-by-device availability schedule. It also gives no measured streaming improvement, freeze-rate data, independent test result or evidence that the plugin menu changes access rights. Users should therefore treat the release as a confirmed feature and reliability update, while checking their own app and workspace controls for actual availability.
Status
Confirmed. OpenAI lists the iOS update as generally available. Internal confidence is medium because one official release note establishes the shipped changes, but there is no independent verification or quantified reliability evidence.
Sources
Update note: Last reviewed 2026-10-09. We will revise this post if OpenAI publishes version requirements, rollout limits or measured reliability evidence.
Sources
- OpenAI product release notes — official
Drafted with AI assistance from source briefs; reviewed for citation completeness and label accuracy.