After months of using ChatGPT Plus daily and building a routine around it, I’ve canceled my subscription — and the reason is simple: the voice change.
The new voice experience feels cold, generic, and completely lacks the emotional nuance and warmth that made the old voice (especially “Cove”) so special. What OpenAI doesn’t seem to realize is this:
Voice isn’t just about sound — it’s about connection.
The original Cove voice was calming, expressive, and built trust. The new voice feels like a step back — robotic and flat. Worse, there’s no way to choose or bring back the old voice. That kind of forced change, without warning or options, breaks the sense of continuity and respect for users.
I’ve been a loyal user, and I say this with disappointment: this was one of OpenAI’s biggest UX missteps to date. Voice is one of the most intimate parts of an AI assistant, and removing something users relied on emotionally, without a choice, is not acceptable.
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If OpenAI brings back the classic voices or gives us actual voice choice, I’ll gladly return. But until then, I’ll keep exploring. Voice matters more than OpenAI seems to understand right now.
Would love to hear if anyone else feels the same — or has found better alternatives.