If you've ever wished ChatGPT could join your group chat like a helpful friend, suggesting restaurants, building itineraries, or settling those endless family debates, your wait is over. OpenAI has just flipped the switch on group chats for ChatGPT, expanding the feature globally to every logged-in user, from free-tier enthusiasts to Pro subscribers.

What started as a limited pilot last week in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan has exploded into a full rollout after overwhelmingly positive early feedback. As of November 20, OpenAI announced that group chats are coming to all ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, and Pro users worldwide “over the coming days.”

So, What Exactly Is a ChatGPT Group Chat?

At its core, it's exactly what it sounds like: a shared conversation where up to 20 people (yes, twenty) can chat with each other and with ChatGPT in the same thread. Think WhatsApp or iMessage, but with a super-intelligent AI participant that can search the web, generate images, summarise docs, or crunch options on demand.

OpenAI positions it as the evolution of ChatGPT from solo sidekick to collaborative hub. Use cases the company is pushing hard include:

• Planning a group trip (ChatGPT compares flights, builds packing lists, and suggests hidden gems).
• Organising family events or dinners (it finds venues that match everyone's dietary restrictions).
• Work or school projects (upload files, share research, let the AI outline or summarise).
• Settling debates with an "impartial referee" (because who doesn't need a fact-checking robot in the group?).

Crucially, your personal ChatGPT memory stays private; nothing from your one-on-one chats leaks into the group.

How It Actually Works: A Quick Hands-On Guide

Start a Group Chat

Open ChatGPT (web or app) and look for the new "people" icon in the top-right corner of any conversation. Tap it, give the group a name if you want, and generate an invite link.

Invite People

Share the link via text, email, or anywhere. Anyone with a ChatGPT account (or who signs up on the spot) can join. The first time someone enters a group chat, they'll set up a simple profile: name, username, and photo, so everyone knows who's who.

Adding to an Existing Chat

Pro tip: Adding someone to your current one-on-one chat creates a new group copy. Your original private thread stays untouched. Smart privacy move.

ChatGPT's Behaviour in the Group

• This is where the magic (and new training) shines. OpenAI has taught ChatGPT "social etiquette":
• It follows the conversation flow and only chimes in when relevant.
• It stays quiet if humans are just bantering.
• Want a response? Just @mention "ChatGPT" (or type its name).
• It can react with emojis and even reference profile photos (e.g., generating personalised images using group members' faces).

Responses are powered by the brand-new GPT-5.1 Auto, which dynamically picks the best model based on the prompt and the asker's plan tier. Rate limits? They only kick in when ChatGPT actually replies, but human-to-human chatter is unlimited.

Management Tools

Tap the group icon for options: add/remove people, mute notifications, set custom instructions for how ChatGPT behaves in that specific group, leave the chat, or delete your own messages (which removes them for everyone).