ChatGPT App Update: GPT-5 for Free, Adds Personalities, App Accent Color, Custom Instruction, and Disable Features

The latest ChatGPT app update is a big one: GPT-5 is rolling out broadly (including free users), the app introduces built-in personalities and accent color customization, custom instructions are easier to tune, and new toggles let users and admins disable certain features or data sharing. Here’s a concise breakdown of what changed and how to use the new options.

What's new: GPT-5 availability and model upgrades

OpenAI has announced GPT-5 as the next major model family and, for many users, it’s now available by default in ChatGPT—bringing faster responses, strong coding and reasoning improvements, and new personalization options. Free-tier users now have access to GPT-5 (with some usage caps), while paid tiers get higher limits and extra variants.

Personalities: pick a tone that fits

The app now offers selectable “personalities” — pre-configured response styles (for example: Default, Cynic, Listener, Robot, Nerd) — so you can quickly switch the assistant’s tone without rewriting prompts. This makes it easier to get responses that match your use case, whether you want short, factual answers or more playful/empathetic replies. Learn more about personalization here.

Accent color & UI personalization

Small but useful: you can change the app’s accent color to personalize conversation bubbles, buttons, and highlights. On mobile look in Personalization → Color Scheme; on web the setting lives under Settings → General → Accent color. This makes it simpler to visually organize chats (e.g., work vs personal).

Custom instructions: more control over how GPT responds

Custom instructions received UI improvements to let you specify the assistant’s traits, preferred tone, and persistent rules more easily. That means fewer repeated prompts and a better out-of-the-box fit for workflows or content style. If you already have custom instructions, your settings are preserved.

Disable features & data controls (privacy and admin options)

OpenAI has expanded controls so users and admins can disable particular capabilities when needed. Examples include toggles to opt out of model training (“Improve the model for everyone”), to turn off integrations like “Work with Apps,” or to prevent certain app integrations at the workspace level. These settings make it easier to protect sensitive data and to restrict features in enterprise environments. Read OpenAI’s privacy policy here.

Quick tips — where to find key toggles

1. Accent color: Profile → Personalization → Color Scheme (mobile) or Settings → General (web).
2. Custom instructions: Profile → Custom Instructions (use the improved UI to set tone & rules).
3. Opt out of training: Profile → Settings → Data Controls → “Improve the model for everyone” toggle.

Further reading & resources

Read OpenAI’s official blog for full details and developer documentation.

Learn more about boosting your Android productivity and AI workflows on our site: Boost Your Productivity: 5 Must-Have AI Tools for Android.

For Apple users, see our article: How AI-Powered Apps Are Transforming the iPhone User Experience in 2025.

Bottom line

This update blends a major model upgrade (GPT-5) with practical personalization and privacy controls: choose personalities and colors to shape output and appearance, tune custom instructions for persistent behavior, and use new data/feature toggles to protect sensitive workflows. If you rely on ChatGPT for work or personal tasks, check your app settings today to configure the mix of convenience and privacy that fits you.