After some time on Plus, I noticed Voice Mode became overly verbose — even with strict Custom Instructions

I’ve been a ChatGPT Plus subscriber for a while, and initially, I was satisfied — voice mode included. It responded naturally and directly, just like I expected.

But over time, I began noticing a change: voice mode became increasingly verbose. Instead of simply answering, the assistant started adding long preambles, repeated confirmations, and excessive “friendly” commentary — even though I had clearly set my Custom Instructions to avoid all that.

Here’s what I use in my Custom Instructions:

“Be concise and direct. Avoid filler phrases. In voice mode, no intros or summaries — just answer.”

Despite this, voice mode in Plus gradually began to ignore those preferences. It started feeling less like a smart assistant and more like a chatty host. So I decided to compare.

I used the same advanced voice mode on a free account, with the same device, app, and settings — and the difference was immediately obvious.

The free version responded much more cleanly and directly, with far less unnecessary commentary.

To clarify: this is not a comparison between feature tiers. Both tests used the exact same advanced voice mode.

The only difference was the account: one Free, one Plus.

Out of frustration, I paused my Plus subscription and kept using the free version — and voice mode behaved exactly how I wanted.

Once I re-subscribed to Plus, the verbose behavior returned instantly.

This strongly suggests that Plus users may be routed to a different voice behavior model, potentially designed to be more “personable” by default, even when tone preferences say otherwise.

My Questions:

Are Plus users routed to a different voice behavior layer or model?

Can we opt out of this more “personality-driven” version?

Can tone and behavior settings (like Custom Instructions) be enforced consistently, regardless of plan?

All I want is a voice experience that respects my settings — clear, fast, no unnecessary warmth or filler. Just the answer.

Thanks for reading.