OpenAI Brings Codex Programming Assistant to Mobile Devices

OpenAI has expanded its Codex programming assistant to mobile devices, enabling developers to access the AI-powered coding tool through ChatGPT’s iOS and Android applications.

The rollout comes months after rival Anthropic introduced mobile support for its Claude Code assistant, intensifying competition in the AI-assisted software development market.

OpenAI said mobile access is designed to accelerate long-running programming tasks powered by GPT-5.5, the large language model behind Codex. The assistant can handle complex coding workflows that often take hours to complete, but such tasks sometimes require user guidance or approvals during execution.

Previously, developers who stepped away from their desktops had no way to respond to Codex prompts, causing tasks to stall until they returned. With mobile support, users can now review requests, provide instructions, or approve project changes directly from their smartphones, reducing delays in software development workflows.

The company also said the feature can help lower AI inference costs. Developers can interrupt Codex if it begins implementing software in a non-optimal way, preventing unnecessary token consumption and reducing overall ChatGPT usage expenses for software teams.

"Codex in the ChatGPT mobile app is a fully-featured mobile experience for getting work done with Codex. When you connect to any of your machines where Codex is running (whether that’s your laptop, a dedicated Mac mini, or a managed remote environment), the app loads the live state from that environment so you can work fluidly across active threads, approvals, plugins, and project context," OpenAI said in a blog post.

Alongside mobile support, OpenAI introduced two additional capabilities called Hooks and Remote SSH. Hooks allow organisations to customise Codex with scripts that can monitor prompts, block sensitive information, or log activity for compliance purposes. The feature can also tailor Codex responses for specific projects.

Remote SSH, meanwhile, enables Codex to securely connect to cloud-based development environments through encrypted network links, supporting enterprise software workflows.

OpenAI also added support for programmatic access tokens and expanded HIPAA compliance coverage to standalone Codex clients and embedded developer integrations, strengthening the platform’s enterprise-focused capabilities.