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If you use Windows, then you definitely know about Microsoft Copilot. Either it’s from the news coverage or the fact that Microsoft has been shoving this AI tool down every Windows user’s throat. The company has a lot of faith in this AI tool, and it’s expanding it to more corners of the tech industry. Microsoft has just launched a Copilot app on Android.
This was a pretty silent launch that the company did for some reason. With as much fanfare the company made about Copilot, you’d expect it to make a grand announcement. However, it could be because the company wants people to use it, primarily, on Windows systems. In any case, the app is free to use and open to download now on your Android phone.
How does the Copilot Android app work?
As you can expect, this brings all of the power you’d expect from Copilot in the browser to your phone. So, if you need to ask a question about the world, generate an image, or just show off to your friends at a party, it’s as easy as accessing the app.
The interface isn’t all that different from the other GPT apps on the market. When you first start the app, you’ll be prompted to give the app access to your location, but you can reject it if you want. You’ll need to if you need to ask queries that relate to local areas. After you put in your first query, you’ll then be prompted to agree to Microsoft’s terms of service. Read them if you want to know more about how your data is being used by the app.
When you get into the interface, you’ll see a toggle at the top of the screen allowing you to access the GPT-4 model. If you want to use the more powerful model, you can do so without any hassle. You won’t be prompted to pay or sign in to use it. It will just tell you that responses might take a little more time to process.
Using the app might be a little confusing at first. When you first scroll to the bottom, you won’t see a classic text field to enter your query. You’ll see some suggested queries inside a horizontal carousel of chips. Below that, you’ll see the microphone icon to let you speak into your phone. It’s clear that Microsoft wants that to be the primary way you interact with this app. When you use your voice, you’ll get an audible response as well as a text-based one.
Next to the microphone icon, you’ll see much smaller and less accented camera and keyboard icons. Tap on them to interact with the app in that way. So, if you want a classic text field, tap on the keyboard icon. If you want to upload a picture, tap on the camera icon.
Limitations
Using this app is just like using the browser version, so you’re subject to the same limitations. You still have access to up to 2,000 characters per query. Also, the tool will be less useful if you’re not signed in. So, if you want longer conversations and queries, you’ll need to sign in. Also, you’ll need to sign in if you want to generate images.
Once you switch the program to GPT-4, there doesn’t seem to be a direct way to switch it to the older model. If you want to switch it back to GPT-3.5, you’ll need to manually clear the app’s local storage in the Android App Info screen. Once you do that, re-open the app, and don’t flip the toggle.