This ChatGPT update covers what actually shipped in September 2026: a real advertising expansion, a Voice overhaul, and a handful of smaller changes worth knowing about if you run a small business on the platform. The headline item extends our ongoing coverage of ChatGPT Ads hitting a $1 billion run rate and its Shopify partnership.
OpenAI’s official cover for the September 23 expansion. Source: OpenAI.
ChatGPT Ads Expands to Seven New Markets
On September 23, OpenAI expanded ChatGPT Ads into Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Taiwan, bringing total availability to more than 60 countries. A business in one of these new markets can now advertise through the OpenAI Ads Solutions team, an agency partner (dentsu, Havas Media, Omnicom Media, Publicis Groupe, and WPP are named), a technology partner, or, for eligible businesses, self-service through Ads Manager, the same self-serve path we covered when ChatGPT Ads hit its first $1 billion run rate. Ads only display to Free and Go plan users; Plus, Pro, and Enterprise subscribers stay ad-free, and OpenAI reiterated that conversations stay private from advertisers and that customer data is never sold. “We’re at the beginning of a new chapter for advertising, with AI creating new ways for businesses and people to connect,” said Dave Dugan, OpenAI’s VP and Head of Global Ads Solutions.
Voice Gets Real Model Choice
The other significant piece of this ChatGPT update landed September 9: Voice now runs on GPT-5.6 or GPT-6 Astra, and you choose the model and reasoning effort directly instead of picking a vague Instant, Medium, or High intelligence level, which OpenAI has retired in favor of that direct model selection. Usage limits were simplified across plans at the same time: Go users get up to 3 hours a day on GPT-Live-1 mini, and Pro subscribers ($200/month) get unlimited GPT-Live-1 access. Plus and Pro users also no longer get silently downgraded to GPT-Live mini once they hit a voice limit mid-conversation.
Smaller Changes Worth Knowing
Custom GPTs are being retired
OpenAI announced on September 11 that Custom GPTs are being phased out, with a migration path to the newer plugins system. If your business built a Custom GPT for customer-facing or internal use, budget time to move it before the cutover.
Plugins now work inside Voice
As of September 23, plugins work during Voice conversations across web, iOS, and Android, meaning a connected tool can now be triggered by talking to ChatGPT, not just by typing.
New models for Work and Codex
September 22 introduced GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna for ChatGPT Work and Codex, alongside the model choices already available in Voice.
Health plugin permissions default changed
Since September 14, Health plugin connections default to “Allow low-risk actions” rather than requiring manual approval for every low-risk step, worth a look if your workspace has any Health-connected plugins.
What This Means for Your Business
If you sell into Southeast Asia or Taiwan
This is the first time ChatGPT Ads has been available in these seven markets at all, so there is no existing performance data specific to them yet, treat early campaigns as a genuine test, the same caution we gave when Shopify’s integration launched with no published rate card.
If you already run ChatGPT Ads elsewhere
Nothing about your existing setup changes; this is additional market coverage, not a platform change to campaigns already running in the more than 60 countries already supported.
If you use ChatGPT Voice for customer-facing work
Being able to pick GPT-6 Astra specifically for harder reasoning tasks, and no longer being silently downgraded mid-conversation, is a real reliability improvement worth knowing about even outside the advertising story.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which countries did ChatGPT Ads just add?
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Taiwan, announced September 23, 2026, bringing total coverage to more than 60 countries.
Do ads show up for paying ChatGPT subscribers?
No. Ads only display to Free and Go plan users; Plus, Pro, and Enterprise stay ad-free.
What changed with ChatGPT Voice?
As of September 9, Voice runs on GPT-5.6 or GPT-6 Astra with direct model and reasoning-effort selection, replacing the old Instant/Medium/High intelligence levels, plus simplified usage limits across plans.
Are Custom GPTs going away?
OpenAI announced their retirement on September 11, 2026, with a migration path to plugins; an exact shutdown date was not specified in the announcement.
Is there a minimum spend for ChatGPT Ads in the new markets?
OpenAI has not published pricing or minimum-spend specifics for the new markets in this announcement.
This extends our earlier coverage of ChatGPT Ads hitting a $1 billion run rate, OpenAI blocking competitor ads in ChatGPT, and the Shopify e-commerce partnership. See our full ChatGPT Review for pricing and plan details.
Start the discussion