screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET
iPhone and iPad owners can now take Microsoft’s Copilot app for an AI-infused ride. Popping up in Apple’s App Store on December 29, the app was initially limited to Android users, appearing in Google Play on December 19. Capitalizing on the Copilot name, the app offers you a generative AI chatbot with the latest AI models, namely GPT-4 and DALL-E 3.
To download the app, head to the App Store and select the link for iPhone or iPad. After starting Copilot, you’ll see the usual screen where you can start submitting requests or try sample questions to see how the app fares. Though you can use the app without an account, signing in with a Microsoft account lets you ask more questions and engage in longer conversations.
Type your question at the “Ask me anything” prompt or tap the microphone icon to speak your request. Copilot displays its response and speaks it as well. Tap the audio level icon to stop the narration before it ends. You can also upload a photo or other image and ask the app to analyze it.
Flip the switch for GPT-4 if you’re seeking more reliable and more accurate responses. And with DALL-E 3 on board, you’re able to ask Copilot to create artwork, photos, and other types of images based on your description. Plus, you can switch between Light and Dark modes based on your preference.
At the app’s product page on the App Store, Microsoft touts some of the tasks you can accomplish with the app, such as:
- Draft emails.
- Compose stories or scripts.
- Summarize complex texts.
- Translate and proofread text.
- Create travel itineraries.
- Write and update resumes.
And with the DALL-E 3 image generator built in, Microsoft details some text-to-image ideas that you can use, including:
- Create social media content.
- Develop brand motifs.
- Generate logo designs.
- Create custom backgrounds.
- Build and update a portfolio.
- Create illustrations for books.
- Visualize film and video storyboards.
Copilot joins Microsoft’s Bing Chat app in providing an AI-capable program to run on your mobile device. But if Bing AI is already available for iPhone and Android users, why launch another AI-based mobile app?
Microsoft is likely just trying to expand the use of the Copilot branding. The company already offers Copilot for Windows, Copilot for Microsoft 365, Copilot for Azure, GitHub Copilot, and other products. The Bing Chat website was even recently rechristened as Copilot.
Plus, the Bing app tries to act as both AI chatbot and a traditional search engine, resulting in a somewhat cluttered layout. In contrast, Copilot serves as just an AI bot with a simpler and cleaner look and feel.
