OpenAI just turned ChatGPT into more than a chat window — it’s now a place where a handful of third-party apps can run inside the conversation. Instead of telling the bot to “go do X” and then flipping to another tab or app, you can ask ChatGPT to call up an integrated service (think Spotify, Canva, Zillow) and get interactive results — playlists, maps, design previews, hotel lists — right in the thread. It’s an evolution of the “mini-app” idea you’ve seen in messaging platforms, but with the chatbot in the driver’s seat.

How it actually works

If you start a message with the name of an app — “Spotify, make a playlist for my party this Friday” — ChatGPT can surface that app, ask you to connect your account the first time, and then use the app to carry out the request inside the conversation. Apps return interactive blocks: maps for property searches, full-screen design previews from Canva, and lists of tracks you can tap through to open in Spotify. OpenAI built the system so apps fit naturally into dialogue: you can follow up with “make that playlist more upbeat,” and the app-driven result updates in context.

Who’s in the first wave

The launch roster reads like a cross-section of everyday online life: Booking .com, Canva, Coursera, Expedia, Figma, Spotify and Zillow. Together they demonstrate the variety OpenAI wants to support — media discovery, design work, education, travel planning and real-estate searching — rather than one single “killer” use. More partners (Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, OpenTable, Tripadvisor and others) are scheduled to arrive later this year.

What those apps can do for you

• Spotify: connect your account and ask for recommendations or a playlist based on a conversation. Both Free and Premium listeners can use the integration across many markets; Premium users can give more detailed prompts for a highly personalized selection. The results link back into Spotify so you can tap to listen.
• Canva: ask for an Instagram post, a poster, or a slide deck and Canva will render editable design previews in ChatGPT. From there, you can tweak copy or styling by conversation and then jump into Canva proper for deeper edits.
• Figma: the Figma app can pull in diagrams, suggest revisions and let you kick off an “Edit in Figma” workflow from the chat. It’s aimed at speeding up small design iterations without context switching.
• Zillow: tell ChatGPT your budget and must-haves and Zillow will return listings with photos, maps and pricing — the kind of quick property triage that normally requires flicking between a search site and a spreadsheet. Zillow plans to add more features (new construction, 3D tours) over time.
• Expedia / Booking .com: these integrations bring dynamic price and availability info into a planning conversation — flights, hotels, maps and bundled options — so you can iterate on an itinerary without opening multiple tabs.
• Coursera: the learning app surfaces course videos and materials and can be asked to elaborate on course content as you watch or study.

Developer side: SDK, directory and rules

OpenAI released an Apps SDK preview so developers can start building apps for ChatGPT now; the SDK is built on the Model Context Protocol and includes developer-mode testing inside ChatGPT. Eventually there will be an app directory where users can discover and install apps, and OpenAI says it will allow more developers to submit apps for review later this year. The company is explicit about what kinds of apps it wants: helpful, trustworthy utilities — booking a ride, ordering food, checking availability — not long-form publishing or irrelevant messaging.

Availability and limits

Apps are rolling out to logged-in ChatGPT users outside the European Union on Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans, in English and in markets where the partner services operate. OpenAI says EU availability is coming later; developers will also be able to submit apps for broader distribution before the year is out. The first time you use an app, ChatGPT will prompt you to connect so you can see what data the app will access.

Why this matters — and what to worry about

The practical upside is obvious: fewer tab switches, faster hacks, and a smoother way to combine the generative power of ChatGPT with trusted app data and actions. For creators and businesses it promises easier discovery of services inside a conversational UI used by hundreds of millions. Critics, though, will watch the usual tradeoffs: how data flows between ChatGPT and third parties, whether certain partners get preferential placement, and how monetization is handled. OpenAI’s prompts about connection and its app guidelines are designed to nudge toward transparency and utility, but the details matter in real-world use — especially when the app can surface purchase options or personal recommendations.

How to try it

If you’re outside the EU and you already use ChatGPT, the new app integrations should be visible in chats where one of the partner apps is helpful — or you can explicitly start a message with an app’s name. The first use will ask you to connect accounts where needed; after that, you can iterate with follow-ups the same way you’d nudge a human assistant.

This is OpenAI’s latest push to make ChatGPT a platform, not just a product: a place where actions and knowledge live together. If it works, the chatbot becomes less of a tool for answers and more of an environment for doing things — booking, designing, learning, listening — without leaving the conversation. Whether that future is convenient or a new set of lock-ins depends on how transparently these apps behave and how open the developer ecosystem really is. For now, the first wave gives a clear preview of what’s possible — and plenty to try.